Everyday, 340 million people speak it. One billion people are learning it and it is said that by 2050, half of the world’s population will be using it. What are we talking about? That is the global language—English.
The English language started in Britain in the 5th century. It is a mixed language. It was built up when German. Scandinavian and French invaders settled in England and created a common language for communication.
Today it is the official language of the UK, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa and Ireland as well as many islands in the Caribbean. Many other countries and regions use it for politics and business, for
example, India. Pakistan, Nigeria and the Philippines. English is also one of the official languages of Hong Kong.
But global advertising and pop music mean that in most countries, you will see or hear some English. Thanks to McDonalds, we all know about “burgers”. “fries” and “milkshakes”. Songs by Madonna, Britney Spears and Celine Dion are in English. We can sing along, even if we do not understand what we are singing!
English is a messy (杂乱的) language. Every year, dictionaries include new word
s that talk about popular culture, for example, computer-related words such as "blogging", "download" and "chartroom". Also included are words that teenagers use. Who does not know “cool”, “OK” and “hello”?
Other languages also influence 
English. Many English words come from French. Words like “café” and expressions like “c'est la vie” (that is life) are all part of the English language. On the other hand, the French language includes English words like "le weekend" and "le camping". German words are also part of English
. Words like "kindergarten" come from the German language.
Recently, British peo
ple have become interested in “yoga”. But the word comes from an ancient Hindu language in India.The English language has a history of ______.
| A．over 2000 years | B．over 500 years |
| C．over 1500 years | D．over 1000 years |
The underlined expression “thanks to” can be replaced by ______.
| A．because of | B．in order to | C．as usual | D．as if. |
Which of the following statements is true about the language of English?
| A．It has been changing all the time. |
B．It has borrowed words from all the other languages. |
C．French words are used by the En glish because dictionaries have French words. |
| D．Singers and film stars have the greatest influence on language. |
How many people in the world are using English now?
| A．One billion people | B．340 million |
| C．almost all the people in the world. | |
| D．not mentioned above, but the number is growing rapidly. |
Many countries and regions use it for politics and business except______.
| A．the USA | B．Nigeria | C．the Philippines | D．Norway |
Learning to save money when you're young is an important lesson. All good lessons arid habits begin early, and saving is a skill that everyone needs. Many people—adults included—do not have a good sense of saving for the long run.
I have been lucky to learn this lesson early because I have had a grass-cutting business since I was 10 years old. Of the money I make I spend about 10 percent and save the other 90.
Making sure you save and don't spend too much is a good way to build up wealth. I have put my earnings in a bank. Many teens I know spend all the money they earn so it never has a chance to grow. Young people should realize that their teenage years are a great time to begin saving.
At high school many parents pay for almost everything, so your expenses can be small. If you have a lob, you should have fun with some of the money. But you should also save some so that it will grow. Then you can begin planning for your future. When you spend money, you not only lose that money, but also lose the interest you could have earned by saving it.
After high school, college is expensive and then "real" life begins, with expenses such as food and rent. If you can hold onto a good percentage of the money you earn as a teen, going to college and buying a house will be much easier.________________, the more time the money has to grow. If you are in your thirties without any savings, you will always have to struggle. The earlier you begin saving, the easier it is to create a nest egg.
Later in life it can be hard to start saving because general costs of living are more expensive and you may only have enough to pay your bills. If you want to buy a house and have a family, you need money to start with, which comes from saving.
Many say money cannot make you happy, and this is true. But money can help you to lead a secure life.
Saving early will mean you will have to work for fewer years when you are older. It will also allow you to spend time doing the things that you want to do.
In addition to this, it will mean you can live the way you want to without worrying.
1.What’s the best title of the passage?
2.Which sentence in the passage is the closest in meaning to the following one?
As long as you save early, you’ll do less work to live well at your old age.
3.Please fill in the blank in the passage with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence.(within 10 words)
4 According to the passage,.what do you think of saving ?(within 30 words)
5.Translate the underlined sentence into Chinese.
Our little boy came up to his mother in the kitchen one evening while she was fixing supper，and handed her a piece of paper that he had been writing on. After his mom dried her hands on an apron，she read it，and this is what it said：
For cutting the grass $5.00
For cleaning up my room this week $1. 00
For going to the store for you $0. 50
Baby－sitting my kid brother while you went shopping $0. 25
Taking out the garbage $1. 00
For getting a good report card $5. 00
For cleaning up and raking the yard $2. 00
Total owed： $14.75
Well，I’ll tell you，his mother looked at him standing there expectantly，and boy，could I see the memories flashing through her mind. So she picked up the pen，turned over the paper he’d written on，and this is what she wrote：
For the nine months I carried you while you were growing inside me，No Charge.
For all the nights that I’ve sat up with you，doctored and prayed for you，No Charge.
For all the trying times，and all the tears that you’ve caused through the years，there’s No Charge.
For all the nights that were filled with dread，and for the worries I knew were ahead，No Charge
For the toys，food，clothes，and even wiping your nose，there’s No Charge，Son.
When you___________________，the cost of my love is No Charge.
Well，friends，when our son finished reading what his mother had written，there were great big old tears in his eyes，and he looked straight up at his mother and said：“Mom，I sure do love you. ”And then he took the pen and in great big letters he wrote：“PAID IN FULL”.
1.What’s the best title of the passage?
2.Which sentence in the passage is the closest in meaning to the following one?
Although you have broght me hard thimes andmany tears in these years , you needn’t pay for them.
3.Please fill in the blank in the passage with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence.(within ten words)
4.What do you learn after reading the passage?(within 30 words)
5.Translate the underlined sentence into Chinese.
By day he is just a normal cat but when the lights go out, he glows (发光) in the dark.
Scientists have genetically modified (更改) a cat as part of an experiment that could lead to treatments for diseases.
Named Mr. Green Genes, he looks like a six-month-old cat but, under ultraviolet (紫外线的) light, his eyes, gums (牙龈) and tongue glow green. That is the result of a genetic experiment at the Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species in New Orleans, US.
Mr. Green Genes is the first fluorescent (荧光的) cat in the US and probably the world, said Betsy Dresser, the center's director.
The researchers made him so they could learn whether a gene could be introduced harmlessly into a cat's genetic sequence (次序).
If so, it would be the first step in a process that could lead to the development of ways to treat diseases via gene therapy (治疗).
The gene, which was added to Mr. Green Genes' DNA, has no effect on his health, Ms Dresser said.
Cats are ideal for this project because their genetic makeup is similar to that of humans, said Dr Martha Gomez, a scientist at the center.
To show that the gene went where it was supposed to go, the researchers settled on one that would glow.
The gene "is just a marker"， said Leslie Lyons, an assistant professor at the University of California, Davis. Lyons is familiar with the center's work.
"The glowing part is the fun part," she said.
Glowing creatures made international news earlier this month when the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to three scientists who had discovered the gene through their work with jellyfish (水母).
51. Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?
A. A Glowing Cat B. Mr. Green Genes
C. One Cat’s Life D. An experiment on cats
52. What can we conclude from the passage?
A. Fortunately, scientists have found ways to treat diseases via gene therapy.
B. Scientists think cats’ genetic makeup is the same as that of human beings.
C. Three scientists who had discovered the gene were given Nobel Prize in Physics.
D. Scientists have managed to introduce a gene into a cat’s genetic sequence.
53. What does “settled on” most probably mean in Paragraph 9?
A. chose B. killed C. took D. raised
54. From the passage we can see that ____.
A. Mr. Green Genes was made by researchers to treat diseases
B. the cat named Mr. Green Genes can glow when it is dark
C. Mr. Green Genes is the first fluorescent cat in the world
D. Mr. Green Genes is a cat of seven months old up to now
55. Which of the following is WRONG according to the text?
A. The gene added to Mr. Green Genes’ DNA doesn’t affect its health at all.
B. The scientists came up with the idea of the glowing genes totally for fun.
C. Earlier this month glowing creatures became news all through the world.
D. Scientists had discovered the gene from the jellyfish they worked with.
Chinese students aren’t the only ones who have a sleep loss problem. In Australia, teenagers are also missing out on, on average, one hour’s sleep every night during the school week.
Organized activities and homework push bedtimes later, the first large-scale Australian study of children’s sleeping habits has revealed (显示). Their sleep deprivation (剥夺) is enough to cause “serious drop-offs in school performance, attention and memory”, and governments should consider later or flexible school start times, said the study’s leader, Tim Olds.
His survey, of more than 4,000 children aged 9 to 18, found those who slept least did not watch more television but spent their time socializing (相处) with family or friends or listening to music.
“Almost all children get up at 7 or 7:15 — they have to get to school on time,” said Olds. He favors a later start over an earlier finish because he believes organized sports and activities would still consume the latter end of the day.
Olds’ research also establishes lack of sleep as a cause of weight gain in children, and a possible source of future problems with depression, anxiety and increased susceptibility (易感性) to illness.
It was already known that overweight children sleep less, but Professor Olds found sleep duration(时长) was strongly linked to weight across the full range of body sizes. The thinnest children sleep 20 minutes more than the obese. This showed being overweight had no specific effect on sleep patterns, and it was more likely that shorter sleep times stimulate (刺激) appetite and make kids hungry.
The US National Sleep Foundation says teenagers aged 13 to 18 need eight to nine hours’ sleep a night. Younger school-aged kids need 9 to 11 hours.
On that basis, Professor Olds said, half of Australian children are under-sleeping on weekdays and a quarter on weekends.
46. The Australian students surveyed don’t sleep enough because they spend more time on the following EXCEPT _____.
A. organized activities and homework
B. communication with friends and family
C. watching television programs
D. enjoying music
47. What effects does lack of sleep directly have on the students according to the survey?
A. They become overweight but begin to eat less than before.
B. They feel more depressed and anxious about their school work.
C. They are more likely to be affected with illness in the future.
D. They pay less attention in class and their memory declines.
48. Which of the following suggestions did Mr. Olds raise?
A. The students should go to bed earlier to have longer sleeping time.
B. The students should participate less in organized activities.
C. The school should put off the start time in the morning.
D. The school should finish earlier in the afternoon.
49. What does "obese" in the sixth paragraph mean?
A. average B. fat C. sleepless D. overeating
50. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Australian students usually take part in activities in the afternoon.
B. More students are short of sleep on weekends than on weekdays.
C. Being overweight has an effect on the length of the sleeping time.
D. The survey suggests that teenagers need 8-9 hours’ sleep a night.
People living on parts of the south coast of England face a serious problem. In 1933, the owners of a large hotel and of several houses discovered, to their surprise that their gardens had disappeared overnight. The sea had eaten into the soft limestone cliff (悬崖) on which they had been built. While experts were studying the problem, the hotel and several houses disappeared altogether, sliding down the cliff and into the sea.
Erosion (侵蚀) of the white cliffs along the south coast of England has always been a problem but it has become more serious in recent years. Dozens of homes have had to be abandoned as the sea has crept farther and farther inland. Experts have studied the areas most affected and have drawn up a map for local people, forecasting the year in which their homes will be eaten up by the hungry sea.
Angry owners have called on the Government to erect sea defenses to protect their homes. Government surveyors have pointed out that in most cases, this is impossible. New sea walls would cost hundreds of millions of pounds and would merely make the waves and currents further along the coast, shifting the problem from one area to another. The danger is likely to continue, they say, until the waves reach an inland area of hard rock, which will not be eaten as limestone is. Meanwhile, if you want to buy a cheap house with an uncertain future, apply to a house agent in one of the threatened areas on the south coast of England. You can get a house for a knockdown price but it may turn out to be a knockdown home. What is the cause of the problem that people living on parts of the south coast of England face?
| A．The rising of the sea level. |
| B．The experts’ short of knowledge. |
| C．The washing-away of limestone cliff. |
| D．The disappearance of hotels, houses and gardens. |
The erosion of the white cliffs in the south of England ________.
| A．will soon become a problem for people living in central England |
| B．has now become a threat to the local residents |
| C．can be stopped if proper measures are taken |
| D．is quickly changing the map of England |
The experts’ study on the problem of erosion can ________.
| A．warn people whose homes are in danger |
| B．provide an effective way to slow it down |
| C．help to its eventual solution |
| D．lead to its eventual solution(www.nmet168.com) |
It is not feasible to build sea defenses to protect against erosion because ________.
| A．house agents along the coast do not support the idea |
| B．it is too costly and will endanger neighboring areas |
| C．the government is too slow in taking action |
| D．they will be easily knocked down by waves and currents |
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