IntheUnitedStateswhenonebecamerichhewantspeopletoknowit.Andevenifhedoesnotbecomeveryrichhewantspeopletothinkthatheis.Thatiswhat‘keepingupwiththeJoneses’isabout.Itisthestoryofsomeonewhotriedtolookasrichashisneighbours.

Theexpressionwasfirstusedin1913byayoungAmericancalledArthurMomand.Hetoldthisstoryabouthimself.Hebeganearning$125aweekattheageof23.Thatwasalotofmoneyinthosedays.HegotmarriedandmovedwithhiswifetoaverywealthyneighbourhoodoutsideNewYorkCity.WhenhesawthatrichpeoplerodehorsesMomandwenthorsebackridingeveryday.WhenhesawthatrichpeoplehadservantsMomandandhiswifealsohiredaservantandgavebigpartiesfortheirnewneighbours.

Itwaslikearacebutonecouldneverfinishthisracebecauseonewasalwaystryingtokeepup.TheraceendedforMomandandhiswifewhentheycouldnolongerpayfortheirnewwayoflife.TheymovedbacktoanapartmentinNewYorkCity.

Momandlookedaroundhimandnoticedthatmanypeopledothingsjusttokeepupwithrichlifestyleoftheirneighbours.Hesawthefunnysideofitandstartedtowriteaseries ofshortstories.Hecalledit‘KeepingupwiththeJoneses’because‘Jones’isaverycommonnameintheUnitedStates.’“KeepingupwiththeJoneses”cametomeankeepingupwithrichlifestyleofthepeoplearoundyou.Momand’sseriesappearedindifferentnewspapersacrossthecountryforover28years.

PeopleneverseemtogettiredofkeepingupwiththeJoneses.Andthereare‘Jonses’ineverycityoftheworld.ButonemustgettiredoftryingtokeepupwiththeJonesesbecausenomatterwhatonedoesMr.Jonesalwaysseemstobeahead.

小题1:SomepeoplewanttokeepupwiththeJonesesbecausethey______.A．wanttobeasrichastheirneighboursB．wantotherstoknowortothinkthattheyarerichC．don’twantotherstoknowtheyarerichD．wanttobehappy小题2:Itcanbeinferredfromthestorythatrichpeopleliketo________.A．liveoutsideNewYorkCityB．liveinNewYorkCityC．liveinapartmentsD．havemanyneighbours小题3:Theunderlinedword“neighbourh