The other day, my friend Jane was invited to a 40th birthday party. The time printed on the invitation was 7:30 pm. Jane went off with her husband, expecting a merry evening of wine, food, and song.

By 9:45,everybody was having great fun, but no food had appeared. Jane and David were restless. Other guests began whispering that they, too, were starving. But no one wanted to leave, just in case some food was about to appear. By 11:00, there was still no food, and everyone was completely off their heads. Jane and David left hungry and angry.

Their experience suggests that the words on the printed invitations need to be made clearer. Everyone reads and understands the invitations differently. Most of us would agree that 6:30—8:30pm means drinks only, go out to dinner afterwards; 8:00pm or 8:30pm means possible dinner, but 9:30pm and any time thereafter means no food, eat beforehand, roll up late.

But this is not always the case. If asked to a students' party at 6:30pm, it is normal for guests not to appear before midnight, if at all, and no one cares. Being the first to arrive—looking eager—is social death. When my mother asked to a party for 6:30, she likes to be there, if not on time, then no later than seven. My age group (late thirties)falls somewhere between the two, but because we still think we're young. We're probably closer to student-time than grown-up time.

The accepted custom at present is confusing(混乱的)，sometimes annoying, and it often means you may go home hungry, but it does lend every part that precious element(成分)of surprise.

1. The underlined words"off their heads"probably mean .

A. tired B. crazy C. curious D. hopeless

2. Jane and David's story is used to show that .

A. party-goers usually get hungry at parties

B. party invitations can be confusing

C. people should ask for food at parties

D. birthday parties for middle-aged people are dull

3. For some young people, arriving on time for a students' party will probably be considered .

A. very difficult B. particularly thoughtful

C. friendly and polite D. socially unacceptable

4. According to the writer, people in their late thirties .

A. are likely to arrive late for a party

B. care little about the party time

C. haven't really grown up yet

D. like surprises at parties

5. What is the general idea of the text? .

A. It's safe to arrive late just when food is served

B. It's wise to eat something before going to a party

C. It's important to follow social rules of party-going

D. It's necessary to read invitations carefully

解析：

1.B。参加晚会的人没吃晚饭，到晚11点，人们饿疯了。

2.B。开头的故事做为例子，说明邀请信函令人迷茫，人们无法把握该如何去做。

3.D。第四段前几句说明，年轻的学生赴晚会迟到很正常。急切地第一个赶到的人太少见了。

4.A。第四段最后提及三十多岁的人参加晚会的时间接近学生的时间，故可能迟到。

5.C。全文可知，不同年龄段的人到达晚会的时间不同，对晚会时间理解不同，不遵从社会习惯，便会出现饿肚子等现象。所以，按社会习俗参加晚会极为重要。

例6：

Cannes will rock to the sound of a cancan dance this year when Moulin Rouge by the Australian director Baz Luhrmann opens the French film festival

(电影节)in May. The musical stars Nicole Kidman as a singer, and John Leguizamo as the artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautree. It will be competing for the palme d'Or, the festival's top prize. The festival runs to May 21.

The American actor Tommy Lee Jones, 54, has married his longtime girlfriend, Dawn Maria Laurel, 36, in a private wedding in San Antonio."It wasn't a big to-do,"said Fred Biery, a U.S. District Judge who performed the service. He refused to discuss things further."These are very private people,"he said.

Loretta Lynn is being treated for a very bad cold in Tennessee and will miss several appearances. The country singer, 65, was admitted to a hospital near her home in Hurricane Mills."She is in good condition, but the doctors are watching her closely,"a spokeswoman said.

The French-Algerian singer Enrico Macias was named a United Nations peace messenger. Enrico joins eight other people who act as goodwill envoys(使者)for the United Nations, among them are the writer Elie Wiesel and the basketball player Magie Johnson.

1. We can learn from the text that Henri de Toulouse-Lantree is .

A. a figure in a film B. a dancer in a show

C. a country singer D. a prize winner

2. We know from the text that .

A. Moulin Rouge won the top prize in a film festival