According to US research, it can take up to ten years to become a near-native English speaker. Asian and Spanish students took between five and ten years to reach native speaker performance in English-only schools. Fluency obviously doesn’t happen overnight. But time can definitely make you a better speaker.
After testing his own memory, German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus discovered that humans forget most of what they learn in the first 20 minutes.
So cramming right before a speaking exam is not likely to be as effective as practicing regularly over time. The more you practice, the more familiar new words will become. In the classroom, studies have also shown that repeating oral tasks improves a speaker’s performance.
One of the best repetition exercises is the 4/3/2 technique. Speakers give the same talk to three different listeners with a progressive decrease in delivery time, starting at four minutes, then three, and finally two minutes. This exercise has been proven to help learners speak faster. It can also result in less hesitation and more grammatical accuracy. While time dose make a difference when it comes to speaking perfect English, it would not hurt to brush up on your other language skills.
Studies have also shown that reading can increase your speaking vocabulary. After one month of an extensive reading program, a 27-year-old student of French became more familiar with 65 percent of the new words.
Aside from choosing the right learning methods, having certain personality traits may also help. US linguistics expert Stephen Krashen believes those with high motivation, self-confidence and a low level of anxiety are better equipped for speaking success.
Krashen says students who don’t have these qualities are more likely to have a “mental block”. “Even if they understand the message, the input will not reach the part of the brain responsible for language acquisition,” he writes in his book Principles and Practice in second Language Acquisition.According to the passage, if you want to be a near-native speaker, you need _____.
| A．long-term speaking practice and much reading |
| B．speaking practice for ten years only |
| C．long-term speaking practice, much reading and certain qualities |
| D．cramming new words every day |
The author put forward the 4/3/2 technique just to show that _____.
| A．you should speak to 3 different people |
| B．you should speak to 3 different people at 3 different times |
| C．it can prevent you from making grammar mistakes |
| D．it is really a good way to make you a better speaker |
The example of a 27-year-old student of French in the passage mainly means that _____.
| A．reading can enlarge your vocabulary for your speaking |
| B．reading can make you memorize just 65 percent of the new words |
| C．the 27-year-old student of French is very clever |
| D．in one month, you can improve your speaking ability |
The underlined phrase “linguistics expert” means a person who is quite expert at _____.
| A．languages | B．spoken language |
| C．scientific research | D．teaching English |
Willa Nicoletta, Genuine relaxation
Somewhere in the world, there’s a place where stress isn’t allowed and peace and genuine relaxation are the only demands of the day．If you could go there, you would thoroughly enjoy yourself．There are not too many places in the world like this．．．but this is one of them．It’s luxurious．It’s ultra-private．
Welcome to Villa Nicoletta．
Villa Nicoletta is a 4 bedroom luxury villa and an oasis(绿洲) of rest and rejuvenation（恢复活力） in a land of unspoiled peace．Located on a 70-foot cliff overlooking the north shore of the Island of St．Thomas and the pretty waters of Caret Bay, Villa Nicoletta offers some the finest accommodations in the Caribbean for those seeking a vacation of elegance, peace and privacy．You’ll see how the sun blankets the landscape and water in shimmering brilliance by day and how the sky twinkles like billions of flawless diamonds at night．
Completed in 2000, the 3,300-square-foot Villa Nicoletta is fully equipped with state-of-the-art electronics, including: 6 High Defintion flat-screen TVs all with 120-channel satellite television and four Dell computers with 19-inch flat-screen monitors, wireless broadband Internet and printer/scanner/fax capability. There are also 6 DVD players to go with the TVs, as well as CD players, radios and video games.
When you book Villa Nicoletta, you shall book the entire villa.
Off Season: April 16 to December 14
★4 bedrooms—$5700 /week (8 people max)
Sleep sofa can add additional 2 people $ 200/night
Peak Season: December 15 to April 15
★4 bedrooms—$6300/week(8 people max)
Sleep sofa can add additional 2 people $ 200/nightThe villa can be rented to a maximum of people at a time.
| A．five | B．eight | C．thirteen | D．ten |
If a family with 6 people spends a two-week Christmas holiday in the villa, how much will they pay?
| A．$12,600. | B．$15,400. | C．$11,400. | D．$13,200. |
Villa Nicoletta is most likely to be popular with tourists who .
| A．like adventure |
| B．want to escape the noisy life of the city |
| C．enjoy the winter sports |
| D．seek excitement in the sea |
We can infer that .
| A．you have to share the villa with other tourists |
| B．the Island of St. Thomas is famous for the ocean theme amusement park |
| C．fewer tourists stay in Villa Nicoletta in autumn than in spring |
| D．you can go in for extreme sports in Villa Nicoletta |
The underlined word “twinkles” here means .
| A．shines with a light | B．falls like snow |
| C．burns with a spot | D．cries in surprise |
The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889, in memory of the 100th birthday of the French Revolution. The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII of England, opened the tower. Of the 700 suggestions that were handed in, Gustave Eiffel’s was chosen.
However, at first, it was not well accepted by all and a group of people — including many well-known writers and painters at that time — were fiercely against its design.
Being about 300 meters in height, and 7,000 tons in weight, it was the world’s tallest building until 1930. It was a great project for France. 300 workers took two years to build it. It isn’t an ordinary building, since it is almost made of steel. For example, its body moves around at most 12 cm in heavy wind. Moreover, its height changes up to 15 cm according to the temperature.
It was almost destroyed in 1909, but was saved because of its antenna(天线), which is used for communication at that time. Beginning in 1910 it became part of the International Time Service. French radio and French television have also made good use of its height.
The Eiffel Tower has also seen a few strange things. In 1923, a journalist rode a bicycle down from the first level of it. And in 1954, a mountain climber climbed on top of it and tried to measure its exact height.
Anyway, although its birth was difficult, it is now well accepted all over the world. It has been considered as one of the symbols of Paris.The passage mainly tells us ________.
| A．the history of the Eiffel Tower |
| B．some information about its design |
| C．what the Eiffel Tower was used for |
| D．how it became one of the symbols of Paris |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to this passage?
| A．Many people couldn’t accept the Eiffel Tower at the beginning. |
| B．It was the world’s tallest building for hundreds of years. |
| C．A journalist rode down from the Eiffel Tower in 1954. |
| D．The Eiffel Tower was saved because of its height. |
The French Revolution took place in _______.
| A．1889 | B．1923 | C．1789 | D．1930 |
Remembering names is an important social skill. Here are some ways to master it.
Recite and repeat in conversation.
When you hear a person’s name, repeat it. Immediately say it to yourself several times without moving your lips. You could also repeat the name in a way that does not sound forced or artificial.
Ask the other person to recite and repeat.
You can let other people help you remember their names. After you’ve been introduced to someone, ask that person to spell the name mad pronounce it correctly for you. Most people will be pleased by the effort you’re making to learn their names.
Admit you don’t know.
Admitting that you can’t remember someone’s name can actually make people relaxed. Most of them will feel sympathy if you say. “I’m working to remember names better. Yours is right on the tip of my tongue. What is it again?”
Use connections.
Link each person yon meet with one thing you find interesting or unusual. For example, you could make a mental note: "Vicki Cheng -- tall, black hair." To reinforce your associations, write them on a small card as soon as possible.
Limit the number of new names you learn at one time.
When meeting a group of people, concentrate on remembering just two or three names. Free yourself from remembering every one. Few of the people in mass introductions expect you to remember their names. Another way is to limit yourself to learning just first names. Last names can come later.
Go early.
Consider going early to conferences, parties and classes. Sometimes just a few people show up on time. There’re fewer names for you to remember. And as more people arrive, you can hear them being introduced to others --- an automatic review for you.How will most people feel when you try hard to remember their names?
| A．They will be moved. |
| B．They will be upset. |
| C．They will be delighted. |
| D．They will be discouraged. |
If you can't remember someone's name, you may
| A．tell him the truth |
| B．tell him a white lie |
| C．ask him for pity |
| D．ask others to help you |
When you meet a group of people, it is better to remember
| A．all their names |
| B．a couple of names first |
| C．just their last names |
| D．as many names as possible |
What does the text mainly tell us?
| A．Tips on an important social skill. |
| B．Importance of attending parties. |
| C．How to make use of social skills. |
| D．How to recite and repeat names. |
An explosion on Thursday killed one and injured 21 in a busy street in Tongren, Southwest China’s Guizhou Province.
The bomb was hidden in a rubbish bin in the city’s commercial hub（商业中心），where lots of shops and restaurants are concentrated.
The ear-splitting blast was heard around 12∶50 p.m.，said a local newspaper, citing witnesses. The power of the blast shattered（使粉碎）nearby shop windows and ripped the stainless（不生锈的）steel rubbish can to pieces.
One passer-by，identified（确认）only as Zhang，said she was shocked by the noise and saw a lot of pedestrians lying on the ground when she got to the scene.
Thirteen of the injured were taken to a local hospital after the explosion. A doctor there said five were in serious condition but already out of danger after emergency treatment. The others were just slightly hurt.
“The cause of the explosion is still unknown”, said an officer with the Tongren police, but refused to speculate as to the cause.It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
| A．All the injured were not taken to a hospital |
| B．13 of the injured were not taken to a hospital |
| C．The rubbish bin with a bomb was in a restaurant |
| D．The rubbish bin with a bomb was in a shop |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．One passer- by, identified only as Zhang, saw the man throwing a bomb into a bin. |
| B．Some customers in restaurants were injured. |
| C．The writer didn’t get to the scene. |
| D．All customers in shops got hurt. |
In the last paragraph the underlined word“ speculate” probably means ________.
| A．tell | B．guess | C．discuss | D．argue |
What of the following can be the best title for the passage?
| A．Bomb Hidden in a Rubbish Bin |
| B．The Cause of the Explosion |
| C．A Terrible Thing |
| D．Market Blast Kills 1 ,Injures 21 |
Trees are useful to man in three important ways: they give him wood and other useful things, they give him cool places, and they help to stop drought and flood.
Unluckily, in many parts of the world, man has not found that the third of these points is the most important. Man wants to make money from trees, so he has cut them down in large numbers, only to find that without them he has lost the best friends he had. And also, he is usually too careless to plant and look after new trees. So the forests slowly disappear.
This does not only mean that man will have fewer trees. The results are even worse: for where there are trees, their roots break up soil-make the rain in-and also bind the soil, thus stopping it from being washed away easily; but where there are no trees, the rain falls on hard ground and flows away, causing floods and carrying away the rich top-soil. When all the top-soil is gone, nothing is left but useless desert.The most important points of trees to man is ________.
| A．they help him to make money |
| B．they give him cool |
| C．they give him wood and other things |
| D．they help him to stop drought and floods |
In many places forests slowly disappear because ________ .
| A．many trees have been cut down by man |
| B．new trees are not well looked after |
| C．man has not paid enough attention to planting trees |
| D．all the above |
Land becomes desert after all trees are cut down because ________ .
| A．roots of trees break up the soil |
| B．there are too many rainfalls |
| C．strong winds bring a lot of sand |
| D．there are no longer trees to keep the rain and protect the top-soil. |
Which title best fits the passage?
| A．Trees and Man |
| B．The Function of Tree Wood |
| C．How do People do with Trees? |
| D．The Usage of Tree Roots |
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