At the end of the bar, talking on the telephone, was a tall man with a white beard,handsome and imposing.
“It’s Hemingway all right,” I said.
“Why don’t you ask him to have a drink with us?” she said, knowing I wouldn’t dare. What matter if the barman at the Ritz threw me out? My life was over anyway. “I’ll ask him,” I said.
“No, no, don’t ,” she said. “I was just kidding.”
“I wasn’t,” I said, squaring my shoulders and striding to the bar. Hemingway had just ended his phone call.
“Mr. Hemingway,” I said, “the young lady at the far table and I would like you to join us for a drink, if you have time.”
He looked at me, then across the room at her. Whether it was because I was so obviously on the spot or because she was so pretty-she really did look like a cross between Gene Tierney and Audrey Hepburn, as people often remarked-he said, “I’ve got another phone call to make, and then I’ll join you.”
When I returned to the table, my girl friend asked: “What’d he say? What’d he say?”
“He said he’d join us for a drink. Maybe he was just kidding.”
A few minutes later, with both of us studiously not looking toward the end of the bar,a shadow loomed over the table and Hemingway sat down. We ordered another round of Bloody Marys.
Hemingway told us he was going down to Spain for the bullfights. He said he had fully recovered from injuries suffered when his small plane had crashed in the African jungle a few months before. He asked me what kind of car I drove, and when I told him I had a Triumph TR-2-a big engine for a small chassis (汽车底盘) -he remarked, “Get us the manifold pressure in one of those and you can really roll.”
We chatted for a few moments. Then he looked at his watch and said: “I’d like to stay longer, but I’ve got a dinner date. Nice talking to you.”
My girl friend took my hand and smiled warmly at me for the first time in weeks.“You’ve got nerve,” she said. I signaled for the check. “Monsieur Hemingway a paye,” the waiter said. Mr. Hemingway had paid for the drinks.
1. When they first saw Hemingway, the latter ().
A. was drinking Bloody Marys
B. was talking to the barman
C. was talking on the phone
D. was walking idly around the room
2. The girl suggested that the author go and ask Hemingway to have a drink with them because ().
A. she was not speaking seriously
B. she was sure Hemingway would come
C. she wanted to talk to Hemingway very much
D. she was sure the author would do as she suggested
3. After the author went to invite Hemingway, the latter ().
A. said he didn’t have time
B. promised to join them later
C. first said no and then said yes
D. went to join them immediately
4. Hemingway talked with the two people about the following except ().
A. the car the author was driving
B. the recovery of his health
C.the place he was going
D. the book he was writing
5. Which of the following is NOT true with Hemingway according to the passage? ()
A. Hemingway was polite and considerate
B. Hemingway was injured a few months before
C. Hemingway thought people needed pressure in life
D. Hemingway was too busy to find time to talk to common people
As you scan your list of conversation topics, the man across the table asks about your hobbies. From there, the conversation naturally flows back and forth from your interests to his interests to your job to his job. You are both careful not to ask questions that are too personal. Then the bell rings again. It's time to move on. As you make your way to the next table, you quickly mark your date card. You write the man's name on the card. Under thequestion "Would you like to meet again for a real date?", you mark "yes." Then you take a seat for your next date.
This is the latest way for single people to meet other people they might like to date without pressure. Many businesses offering speed dating services have become popular. These businesses organize events where participants can have dozens of quick dates all on the same night. Each speed date is less than ten minutes, and some services limit each date to only three minutes. This gives people just enough time to make an impression, so that each person in the "date" can decide if they want to meet the other again. If both people mark "yes" on the date card, the service will arrange for the people to contact one another to arrange a real date.The idea for speed dating came from Yaacov Deyo of Los Angles. In 1999, he wanted to provide an alternative way for his students to get together other than using blind dates arranged through family or friends. His speed dating idea was so successful that it quickly spread to other communities across the United States. However, like any date, speed dating does not always work out.
1.How is speed dating different from traditional dating? ()
A. The dates are usually very short.
B. It usually isn't possible to meet the person again.
C. The couples do many activities on one date.
D. The people usually know each other quite well.
2. What would be a suitable question for speed dating? ()
A. Where do you live?
B. What's your last name?
C. What sports do you like?
D. What's your phone number?
3. How long might it take a person to complete ten speed dates? ()
A. Ten minutes.
B. One evening.
C. One week.
D. Ten days.
4. Who is Deyo? ()
A. A man who has had many speed dates.
B. The inventor of speed dating.
C. A man who got married after speed dating.
D. The president of a speed dating company.
5. Why is a speed date limited to a short time? ()
A. Not to let people feel tired.
B. To have another date arrangement.
C. Not to make speed dating boring.
D. To get the chance to talk to more people.
A.ready
B.reserved
C.prepared
D.occupied
A.what
B.which
C.that
D.where
----().
A.Nice meeting you
B.Good idea
C.You must be joking
A.got out of
B.got rid of
C.got away with
D.run out of
A.either
B.none
C.no one
D.neither