|
11.What will be used to power cars in the next few decades?
12.What will future news reports focus on when talking about transportation?
13.What will passengers be asked to do when they travel to the moon?
Passage 2
County fairs are a tradition in New England towns. They offer great entertainment. One popular event is the pie-eating contest. If you want to take part in the contest, it is a good idea to remember these guidelines: first, make sure your stomach is nearly empty of food. Eating a whole pie can be hard if you have just finish a meal. Next, it is helpful to like the pie you are going to eat. The cream types are a good choice. They slide down the throat more easily. Placing your hands in the right position adds to the chances of winning. There is a temptation to reach out and help the eating process. This will result in becoming disqualified. Don’t just sit on your hands, if your hands are tied behind your back, you will not be tempted to make use of them.
Now you are ready to show your talent at eating pies. The object of course, is to get the bottom of the pie plate before the other people. It is usually better to start at the outside and work toward the middle. This method gives you a goal to focus on. Try not to notice what the other people near your are doing. Let the cheers from the crowd spur you on. But don’t look up. All you should think about is eating that pie.
14.Where is pie-eating contest usually held?
15.What should a person do before entering into the pie-eating cxontest?
16.Where is person advised to put his hands during the contest?
17.What suggestion is offered for eating up the pie quickly?
Passage 3
The period of engagement is the time between the marriage proposal and the wedding ceremony. Two people agree to marry when they decided to spend their lives together. The man usually gives the woman a diamond engagement ring. That tradition is said to have started when an Austrian man gave a beauty. He placed it on the third finger of her left hand. He chose that finger because it was thought that the blood vessel in that finger went directly to the heart. Today we know that this is not true, yet the tradition continues.
Americans generally are engaged for a period of about one year, if they are planning a wedding ceremony and a party. During this time, friends of the bride may hold a party at which women friends and family members give the bride gifts that she will need as a wife. These could include cooking equipment or new clothing. Friends of the man who is getting married may have a bachelor party for him. This usually takes place the night before the wedding. Only man are invited to the bachelor party.
During the marriage ceremony, the bride and her would-be husband usually exchange gold rings that represent the idea that their union will continue forever. The wife often wears both the wedding ring and the engagement ring on the same finger. The husband wears his ring on the third finger on his left hand. Many people say the purpose of the engagement period is to permit enough time to plan the wedding. But the main purpose is to let enough time pass so the two people are sure that they want to marry each other. Either person may decide to break the engagement, if this happens, the woman usually returns the ring to the man. They also return any wedding gifts they have received.
18.What was the diamond ring said to represent?
19.Why did the Austrian man place the diamond ring on the third finger of the left hand of his would-be wife? |