An “apple polisher” is one who gives gifts to win friendship or special treatment. It is not exactly a bribe(贿赂),but is close to it.
All sorts of people are apple polishers, including politicians and people in high offices ── just about everybody. Oliver Cromwell, the great English leader, offered many gifts to win the support of George Fox and his party, but failed.
There are other phrases meaning the same thing as “apple-polishing” ── “soft-soaping” or “butter-up”. A gift is just one way to “soft-soap” somebody, or to “butter him up”. Another that is just as effective is flattery, giving someone high praise ── telling him how good he looks, or how well he speaks, or how talented and wise he is.
Endless are the ways of flattery. Who does not love or hear it ? Only an unusual man can resist the thrill of being told how wonderful he is. In truth, flattery is good medicine for most of us, who gets so little of it.
We need it to be more sure of ourselves. It cannot hurt unless we get carried away by it. But we just lap it up for its food value and nourishment, as a cat laps up milk, then we can still remain true to ourselves.
Sometimes, however, flattery will get you nothing from one who has had too much of it. A good example is the famous 12th century legend of King Canute of Denmark and England. The king got tired of listening to the endless sickening flattery of his courtiers（朝臣）.They overpraised him to the skies, as a man of limitless power.
He decided to teach them a lesson. He took them to the seashore and sat down. Then he ordered the waves to stop coming in. The tide was too busy to listen to him. The king was satisfied. This might show his followers how weak his power was and how empty their flattery.
小题1:Which of the following activities has nothing to do with “apple-polishing” ?| A．A boy tells his girlfriend how pretty she looks | | B．An employee tells his boss how good he is at management | | C．A knight(骑士)is said to be of limitless power by his followers | | D．A teacher praised his students for their talent and wisdom. |
小题2:Which of the following statement about flattery is TRUE according to the author ?| A．Too much flattery can carry us away | | B．Flattery is too empty to do people any good | | C．Flattery can get nothing but excessive(过度的)pride | | D．Flattery is one of the ways to apple-polish people. |
小题3:King Canute of Denmark and England took his followers to the seashore because __________.| A．he was sick of his normal | | B．he disliked being overpraised any more | | C．he wanted them to realize how wise he was | | D．he wanted them to see how weak he was as a king |
小题4:The author thinks that flattery can do good to those who _________.| A．are really excellent | | B．lack confidence | | C．are politicians or in high offices | | D．think highly of themselves |
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小题1:D
小题2:D
小题3:B
小题4:B |
文中讲到美言对人的作用和可能产生的不良后果。
小题1:细节理解题 根据第二段中的例子可知教师表扬学生不是这种关系。
小题2:细节理解题 根据文中“In truth, flattery is good medicine for most of us, who gets so little of it”可知恭维的话也是每个人都喜欢的，也是一剂良药。
小题3:细节理解题 根据倒数第二段总“The king got tired of listening to the endless sickening flattery of his courtiers（朝臣）”可知这个国王不想听这些阿谀奉承的话，因此要给他们这些人一点教训。
小题4:细节理解题 文中“...We need it to be more sure of ourselves. It cannot hurt unless we get carried away by it...”讲到美言并不适合所有的人，对这些不能特别肯定自己的人是有必要的。 |
核心考点
试题【An “apple polisher” is one who gives gifts to win friendship or special treatmen】；主要考察你对
题材分类等知识点的理解。
[详细]举一反三
I had to knock on the taxi to get his attention. Finally, the driver, a man about 60, looked up from behind the wheel and apologized, “I’m sorry, but I was reading a letter.” He sounded as if he had a cold or a cough.
Since I was in no hurry, I told him to finish his letter. He shook his head, explaining that he had already read it several times and almost knew it by heart. Curious, I asked whether it was from a child or maybe a grandchild. “This isn’t family,” he replied. “Though he might just as well have been a regular member of the family, Old Ed and I grew up together.”
They were always friends. But since he moved away from the neighborhood 30 years ago, it’d generally just been postcards at Christmas time between them. A couple of weeks ago, Ed died. “I should have kept in touch.” He repeated this, more to himself than to me. To comfort him, I said sometimes we just didn’t seem to find the time. “But we used to find the time,” he said. “Take a look.” He handed the letter over to me.
The first sentence “I’ve been meaning to write for some time, but I’ve always delayed it.” reminded me of myself. It went on to say that he often thought about the good times they had had together. When I read the part where it said “Your friendship really means a lot to me, more than I can say because I’m not good at saying things like that”, I found myself nodding in agreement.
We had gone several kilometers and were almost at my hotel, so I read the last paragraph: “So I thought you’d like to know that I was thinking of you.” And it was ended with “Your Old Friend, Tom.”
“I thought your friend’s name was Ed,” I said.
“I’m Tom,” he explained. “It’s a letter I wrote to Ed before I knew he’d died. I never put it in the mailbox. I guess I should have written it sooner.” His face was pale as he wiped his eyes with a handkerchief.
When I got to my hotel room I didn’t unpack right away. I had to write a letter and post it.
小题1:From Paragraph 4, we learn that the author _______.| A．often fails to write to his friends | | B．doesn’t want to write to his friends | | C．had many great moments with his friends | | D．was good at expressing his feelings to friends |
小题2:Who wrote the letter?| A．Old Ed | B．The driver’s grandchild | | C．The author | D．Tom |
小题3:It can be inferred from the passage that the driver regretted_____.| A．missing Ed’s funeral | | B．moving away from his neighborhood | | C．forgetting to send Ed Christmas cards | | D．not being able to keep in touch with Ed |
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The audience starts to scream and young people all over Britain turn on their TVs. Yes, it’s Top of the pops!
Top of the pops is an amazing 45-year-old programme. Pop stars from all over the world appear on this successful TV prograrmme. After about 2340 shows, it’s still the most popular pop music show in Britain．So what’s the secret?
“We get lots of bands to perform live in the studio,” says producer Chris Cowey. “That just doesn’t happen on other shows”
Chris starts the preparations for the programme over a week before it goes out．His first job is to decide which bands to have on the show. When the chart of the top twenty songs is produced on Sunday, Chris can start to book the bands
Monday starts with Chris meeting his sound, lighting and camera workers. They listen to each song and plan the show.
Tuesday is paperwork day. There are bookings to make sure of, letters to answer and lots of phone calls to make. The show is on Thursday. Bands arrive at the studio from 10 o’clock in the morning and start practicing. Tonight’s presenter, Jo Whiley, practises too
First the bands go to make up. Judy and Issy are the make-up artists. “We see the stars with no make-up on, looking terrible,” says Issy. Then the bands go to the costume department where Marianne dresses the stars.
Back in the studio things are happening. The audience is practising their dance moves! It takes over two hours to record the whole programme, then Chris edits it all night long. The final version is exactly 29 minutes long
小题1:What make (s) Top of the Pops the most popular in Britain?| A．The famous singers of the bands. | | B．The live performances in the studio. | | C．The large numbers of pop fans in Britain. | | D．The jobs carefully done by the workers of the TV station. |
小题2:When the bands receive the invitations to the performance, ___________________. | A．they must decide what songs they will perform | | B．they have no idea what songs they will perform | | C．they don’t have to decide what songs they will perform | | D．the songs that will be performed haven’t been decided on |
小题3:Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE according to the passage?| A．The programme time on TV is exactly controlled. | | B．All the stars must make up before their performance. | | C．The producer plays the main role in planning the programme. | | D．There are no audience to join in the performance at the TV station |
小题4:How is the music programme made at the TV station?
小题5:Which is the proper title for the passage?| A．A Stage for Pop Stars | | B．Go Backstage of Top of the Pops | | C．Great Success Comes from Hard Work | | D．The Most Popular Is the Most Successful |
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I fell in love with Yosemite National Park the first time I saw it, when I was 13. My parents took us there for camping. On the way out, I asked them to wait while I ran up to E1 Capitan, a ___16___ rock of 3,300 feet straight up. I touched that giant rock and knew ___17___ I wanted to climb it. That has been my life’s passion (钟爱) ever since--- ___18___ the rocks and mountains of Yosemite. I’ve long made Yosemite my ___19___.
About 15 years ago I started seeing a lot of ___20___, like toilet paper, beer cans, and empty boxes, around the area. It’s ___21___ me why visitors started respecting the place ___22___ and treated such a beautiful home-like place this way.
I tried ___23___ trash(垃圾)myself, but the job was too big. I would ___24___an hour or two on the job, only to find the area trashed all over again weeks later. Finally, I got so ___25__ it that I decided something had to change.
As a rock-climbing guide, I knew ___26___about organizing any big event. But in 2004, together with some climbers, I set a date for a ___27___. On that day, more than 300 people ___28___. Over three days we collected about 6,000 pounds of trash. It was amazing how much we were able to ___29___. I couldn’t believe the ___30___ we made ---the park looked clean!
Each year volunteers come for the cleanup from everywhere. In 2007 alone, 2,945 people picked up 42,330 pounds of trash and ___31___ 132 miles of roadway.
I often hear people ___32___ about their surroundings. If you are one of them, I would say the only way to change things is by ___33___ rather than complaining. We need to teach by ___34___. You can’t blame others ___35___ you start with yourself.
| 小题1: | | A．distant | B．huge | C．narrow | D．loose |
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| 小题2: | | A．immediately | B．finally | C．gradually | D．recently |
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| 小题3: | | A．imagining | B．painting | C．describing | D．climbing |
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| 小题4: | | A．garden | B．home | C．lab | D．palace |
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| 小题5: | | A．material | B．resources | C．waste | D．goods |
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| 小题6: | | A．beyond | B．against | C．over | D．within |
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| 小题7: | | A．more | B．most | C．less | D．least |
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| 小题8: | | A．throwing away | B．picking up | C．breaking down | D．digging out |
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| 小题9: | | A．kill | B．save | C．wait | D．spend |
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| 小题10: | | A．satisfied with | B．delighted in | C．tired of | D．used to |
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| 小题11: | | A．something | B．anything | C．everything | D．nothing |
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| 小题12: | | A．cleanup | B．party | C．picnic | D．concert |
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| 小题13: | | A．dropped out | B．showed up | C．looked around | D．called back |
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| 小题14: | | A．demand | B．receive | C．accomplish | D．overcome |
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| 小题15: | | A．plan | B．visit | C．contact | D．difference |
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| 小题16: | | A．crossed | B．measured | C．covered | D．designed |
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| 小题17: | | A．talk | B．complain | C．argue | D．quarrel |
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| 小题18: | | A．doing | B．thinking | C．questioning | D．watching |
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| 小题19: | | A．method | B．explanation | C．example | D．research |
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| 小题20: | | A．although | B．if | C．when | D．useless |
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Barditch High School decided to an All-School Reunion. Over 450 people came to the event. There were tours of the old school building and a picnic at Confederate Park. Several former teachers were on hand to tell stories about the old days. Ms. Mabel Yates, the English teacher for fifty years, was wheeled to the Park.
Some eyes rolled and there were a few low groans(嘟囔声)when Ms.Yates was about to speak. Many started looking at their watches and coming up with excuses to be anywhere instead of preparing to listen to a lecture from an old woman who had few kind words for her students and made them work harder than all the other teachers combined.
Then Ms. Yates started to speak:
“I can’t tell you how pleased I am to be here. I haven’t seen many of you since your graduation, but I have followed your careers and enjoyed your victories as well as crying for your tragedies. I have a large collection of newspaper photographs of my students. Although I haven’t appeared in person, I have attended your college graduations, weddings and even the birth your children, in my imagination.”
Ms. Yates paused and started crying a bit. Then she continued:
“It was my belief that if I pushed you as hard as I could, some of you would succeed to please me and others would succeed to annoy me. Regardless of our motives, I can see that you have all been successful in you chosen path.”
“There is no greater comfort for an educator than to see the end result of his or her years of work. You have all been a great source of pleasure and pride for me and I want you to know I love you all from the bottom of my heart.”
There was a silence over the crowd for a few seconds and then someone started clapping. Tee clapping turned into cheering, then into a deafening roar(呼喊). Lawyers, truck drivers, bankers and models were rubbing their eyes or crying openly with no shame all because of the words from a long forgotten English teacher from their hometown.
小题1:What activity was organized for the school reunion?| A．Sightseeing in the park. | | B．A picnic on the school playground. | | C．Telling stories about past events. | | D．Graduates’ reports in the old building. |
小题2:What can be inferred from Paragraph 2? | A．Some graduates were too busy to listen to Ms. Yates’ speech. | | B．Many graduates disliked Ms. Yates’ ways of teaching. | | C．Some people got tired from the reunion activities. | | D．Most people had little interest in the reunion. |
小题3:We can learn from Ms. Yates’ speech that she _____________.| A．kept track of her students’ progress | | B．gave her students advice on their careers | | C．attended her students’ college graduations | | D．went to her students’ wedding ceremonies |
小题4:What was Ms.Yates’ belief in teaching teenagers?| A．Teachers’ knowledge is the key to students’ achievements. | | B．Pressure on students from teachers should be reduced. | | C．Hard-pushed students are more likely to succeed. | | D．Students’ respect is the best reward for teachers. |
小题5:Which of the following can best describe Ms. Yates?| A．Reliable and devoted. | B．Tough and generous. | | C．Proud but patient. | D．Strict but caring. |
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One summer evening I was sitting by the open window, reading a good but rather frightening mystery story. After a time it was too dark for me to read easily, so I put my book down and turned on the light.
I was just about to draw the 36 as well when I heard a loud cry “Help! Help! ” It 37 to come from the trees at the end of the garden. I looked out but it was too 38 to see anything clearly. So I decided to go out and have a look in the garden, just 39 someone was in 40 . I took the torch and picked up a strong walking stick, 41 that this might come to be useful, too. 42 with these, I went out into the garden. 43 I heard the cry. There was no 44 that it came from the trees at the end of the garden.
“Who’s there?” I 45 as I walked, rather 46 , down the path that 47 to the trees. But there was no 48 . With the help of my torch I 49 the whole of that part of the garden and the lower 50 of the trees. There was no sign of anybody or anything. I came to the ___51___ that someone was playing a rather silly joke on me.
___52 feeling rather puzzled, I went back to the house and 53 away the torch and the stick. I had just sat down when I was startled by the cry of “ Help! Help! ”, this time from 54 my shoulder. I dropped my book and climbed up. There, sitting 55 of the mantelpiece ( 壁炉 ), was a parrot!
| 小题1: | | A．gun | B．picture | C．curtains | D．car |
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| 小题2: | | A．seemed | B．looked | C．sounded | D．proved |
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| 小题3: | | A．far | B．distant | C．dark | D．black |
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| 小题4: | | A．as if | B．even though | C．on time | D．in case |
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| 小题5: | | A．difficult | B．power | C．trouble | D．ease |
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| 小题6: | | A．thinking | B．wishing | C．demanding | D．requesting |
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| 小题7: | | A．Supplied | B．Loaded | C．Armed | D．Decorated |
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| 小题8: | | A．Again and again | B．Now and then | | C．From time to time | D．Once again |
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| 小题9: | | A．wonder | B．doubt | C．problem | D．question |
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| 小题10: | | A．spoke out | B．called out | C．got out | D．said out |
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| 小题11: | | A．seriously | B．nervously | C．curiously | D．hurriedly |
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| 小题12: | | A．led | B．went | C．passed | D．joined |
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| 小题13: | | A．person | B．body | C．answer | D．voice |
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| 小题14: | | A．studied | B．searched | C．tested | D．examined |
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| 小题15: | | A．roots | B．branches | C．leaves | D．bushes |
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| 小题16: | | A．beginning | B．end | C．conclusion | D．introduction |
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| 小题17: | | A．But | B．Yet | C．Already | D．Still |
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| 小题18: | | A．put | B．took | C．threw | D．cleared |
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| 小题19: | | A．far off | B．down below | C．left to | D．right behind |
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| 小题20: | | A．on top | B．at the foot | C．inside | D．Outside |
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