“Colour” and “color”, “favourite” and “favorite”···Have you ever wondered why Americans spell those words without a “u”? Is it because they are lazy?
Of course not. In fact, the difference in spelling was created by Noah Webster (1758—1843). He is a teacher who reformed English to make American identity stronger. Linguists（语言学家） celebrated his 250th birthday on October 16. After the Revolutionary War(1775—1783), Webster believed that Americans should have their own dictionary, rather than rely on British versions（版本）. He dropped the British “u” in some words. And he changed “centre” into “center” for children to learn English by spelling words more like they sounded.
Webster wasn’t shy about expressing his opinions. In defining（定义） preposterous, he wrote: “A republican government in the hands of females is preposterous.”
Webster spent 28 years on the project before completing the 70,000-word dictionary in 1828 with his American-style spellings. He also added local words. His dictionary was widely used in schools. Linguists believed it helped a new nation achieve unity and cultural independence at a time when most were focused on political freedom.
“He was the shaper of our language and the shaper of American identity,” said Joshua Kendall, who is working on a biography（传记） about Webster. “He at last bonded（联合） us through our language.” According to the passage, when he worked on his dictionary, Noah Webster did all of the following EXCEPT______.
| A．dropping “u” in all the British words |
| B．changing “centre” into “center” |
| C．adding local words |
| D．expressing his opinion. |
When did Noah Webster probably begin his project of the dictionary?
| A．In 1758 | B．In 1783 | C．In 1800 | D．In 1828 |
Why did Noah Webster create these differences in his dictionary?
| A．Because he wanted to make English simple and easy. |
| B．Because he wanted American English to have it own characteristics（特征）. |
| C．Because he wanted to make American English the best in the world. |
| D．Because he wanted to show that the USA is stronger than the UK. |
Which of the following word can best describe Noah Webster’s work?
| A．Interesting | B．Boring | C．Unfinished | D．Meaningful |
Which of the following would probably be the best title for the passage?
| A．Webster |
| B．American identity |
| C．The shaper of American English |
| D．Spelling difference between American and British English. |
The Boston Opera House
In Person
● The Boston Opera House Box Office is open Monday – Friday from 10 am – pm. We provide a direct and customer-friendly service that allows our customers to choose their seats and purchase their tickets at face value without service charges or delivery fees. The savings and confidence associated with an in-person purchase at our box office can make the trip very worthwhile. While you’re in the neighborhood, check out our dining and parking choices when you attend your favorite shows.
● The Boston Ballet Box Office operates year-round at their 19 Clarendon Street headquarters（总部）in Boston’s South End. Boston Ballet sells tickets at the Boston Opera House box office during Boston Ballet performance weeks.
Online
● Tickets for all Broadway in Boston shows and other concerts and cultural presentations are sold online at www.ticketmaster.com.
● Tickets for all Boston Ballet performances are sold online at www.bostoneballet.org.
By Phone
● Tickets for all Broadway in Boston shows and other concerts and cultural presentations can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 1. 800. 982. 2787.
● Tickets for all Boston Ballet performances can be purchased by calling 617. 695. 6955.
Refund Policy
No refunds or exchanges.
The Boston Opera House Policies
● Some shows may not be appropriate for children of all ages. Please enquire at 617. 259. 3400.
● Regardless of age, everyone must have a ticket. No “babies in arms” will be allowed.
● Parents may be asked to remove restless children from the auditorium（演出大厅）. The parent and child will be able to wait in a comfortable lounge while the rest of the family enjoys the show. We appreciate your cooperation.
Tips for Theatergoers：
● Leave yourself enough time for traffic.
● Check the date and time of the performance on tickets purchased.
● If you arrive late to your performance you may have to wait to be seated at appropriate breaks in the performance. Please arrive on time, no less than 15 minutes before curtain.You can buy tickets for performances at the Boston Opera House in all the following ways EXCEPT ________________.
| A．at the box office | B．by telephone |
| C．through e-mail | D．on the website |
What is one advantage of purchasing tickets in person?
| A．You don’t need to pay extra fees. |
| B．You can get free parking and dining. |
| C．You are sure to get the best seats |
| D．You can exchange tickets if you wish. |
If you are attending a show at the Opera House, _____________.
| A．You can take your infant with you. |
| B．you don’t have to buy a ticket for your child |
| C．you are allowed to enter the auditorium immediately even if you are late |
| D．you are advised to arrive 15 minutes before the performance begins |
You must know what BYD stands for? Yes, Build Your Dream. Have you built your dream and spare no effort to achieve it? Here is an inspiring story from http//www.naijamotiveation.com
Eddie Arcaro dreamed of becoming the world’s greatest jockey（赛马骑师）. But after watching him ride a horse for five minutes, reality reflected a rough contradiction. He was awkward and clumsy, and in his early years in the saddle（马鞍 ）he couldn’t do one thing right.
In his first 100 races he never even came close to winning. Still, he got right back on and trained again. Even as a schoolboy, Arcaro had set his own track in life. Because he was only a little over five feet tall (1.5 meters) and weighed barely 80 pounds (36kg), the other students picked on him. So he skipped school, hanging out at the local race track where a trainer let him ride horses.
His father reluctantly agreed to let him pursue a career as a jockey. The trainer had told him so. “Send him back to school,” he said. “He’ll never be a rider.” In spite of that, Arcaro was determined not just to ride, but to become the world’s greatest jockey. But first someone would have to give him a chance.
He finally got to ride in a real race. Before it was over, he’d lost his whip and his cap and had almost fallen off the saddle. By the time he finished the race, the other horses were on their way to the stables（马厩）. He’d come in dead last. Nevertheless, Arcaro went from track to track, looking for any opportunity to ride.
Finally, a trainer who pitied him took him in and gave him a chance. One hundred losses later, he was still giving him chances. He saw something in this unlucky jockey, something he couldn’t define.
There were many brushes with death and several broken bones. Every time he would return to the saddle. Then Arcaro began to win. In thirty years of riding, he won 4, 779 races, becoming the only jockey in history to win the Kentucky Derby five times. By the time he retired in 1962 he was a millionaire and a legend in his own lifetime.The underlined phrase “picked on” in the passage probably means _______.
| A．paid attention to | B．made fun of |
| C．offered help to | D．took special care of |
The trainer who believed in Arcaro gave him chances because __________.
| A．Arcaro had shown great talents in horse racing |
| B．he thought all that Arcaro needed was a bit of luck |
| C．he had sympathy for Arcaro for his unfortunate experiences |
| D．he was impressed by the way Arcaro stuck to his dream |
The key message the author wants to convey through the passage is that _____.
| A．a man of words and not of deeds is like a garden full of weeds |
| B．you can’t stop the waves, but you can learn how to surf |
| C．winners in life set goals and follow through on them |
| D．life consists not in holding good cards, but in playing well those you hold. |
Which of the following would be the most proper title for the passage?
| A．The Man With The One Track Mind |
| B．A Star With Many Skills |
| C．An Inspiring Website Story |
| D．Inspiration Is Around Us |
Michael J. “Crocodile Dundee” (also called Mick), played by Paul Hogan, is the main character in the fictional Crocodile Dundee film series consisting of Crocodile Dundee, Crocodile Dundee II, and Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles. The character is a crocodile hunter, hence the nickname.
In the first film, Crocodile Dundee, Mick is visited by a New York reporter, Sue Charlton, who travels to Australia to investigate a report when she heard of a crocodile hunter, who had his leg bitten off by a crocodile in the outback. The hunter supposedly walked more than a hundred miles back to civilization and miraculously survived his injuries. However, by the time she meets him, the story turns out to be a somewhat exaggerated legend where the “bitten-off leg” turns out to be just being some bad scarring on his leg; a “love bite” as Mick calls it. Still interested by the idea of “Crocodile Dundee”, Sue continues with the story. They travel together out to where the incident occurred, and follow his route through the bush to the nearest hospital. Despite his old-fashioned views, the pair eventually become close, especially after Mick saves Sue from a crocodile attack.
Feeling there is still more to the story, Sue invites Mick back to New York with her, as his first trip to a city (or “first trip anywhere,” as Dundee says). The rest of the film depicts Dundee as a “fish out of water,” showing how, despite his expert knowledge of living outdoors, he knows little of city life. Mick meets Sue’s boyfriend, Richard, but they do not get along. By the end of the film, Mick is on his way home, lovesick, when Sue realizes she loves Mick, too, and not Richard. She runs to the subway station to stop Mick from leaving and, by passing on messages through the packed-to-the-gills crowd, she tells him she won’t marry Richard, and she loves him instead. With the help of the other people in the subway, Mick and Sue have a loving reunion as the film ends.Which of the following statements is true about Mick?
| A．He is a crocodile hunter living in Los Angeles. |
| B．He got his nickname because of his job. |
| C．He wrote a film series about himself. |
| D．He is based on a real person in Australia. |
In the film Crocodile Dundee, Mick ______.
| A．pretends he was bitten by a crocodile |
| B．urges Sue Charlton to write his life story |
| C．hasn’t been abroad before his trip to America |
| D．shows Sue Charlton around the town he lives in |
When in New York, Mick ______.
| A．makes friends with Richard |
| B．makes full use of his bush skills |
| C．feels excited about living in a big city |
| D．doesn’t know how to fit into city life |
No one knows for sure when advertising first started. It is possible that it grew out of the discovery that some people did certain kinds of work better than others did them. That led to the concept of specialization, which means that people would specialize, or focus on doing one specific job.
Let’s take a man we’ll call Mr. Fielder for example. He did everything connected with farming. He planted seeds, tended the fields, and harvested and sold his crops. At the same time, he did many other jobs on the farm. However, he didn’t make the bricks for his house, cut his trees into boards, make the plows, or any of other hundreds of things a farm needs. Instead, he got them from people who specialized in doing each of those things.
Suppose there was another man we shall call Mr. Plowright. Using what he knew about farming and working with iron, Mr. Plowright invented a plow that made farming easier. Mr. Plowright did not really like farming himself and wanted to specialize in making really good plows. Perhaps, he thought, other farmers will trade what they grow for one of my plows.
How did Mr. Plowright let people know what he was doing? Why, he advertised, of course. First he opened a shop and then he put up a sign outside the shop to attract customers. That sign may have been no more than a plow carved into a piece of wood and a simple arrow pointing to the shop door. It was probably all the information people needed to find Mr. Plowright and his really good plows.
Many historians believe that the first outdoor signs were used about five thousand years ago. Even before most people could read, they understood such signs. Shopkeepers would carve into stone, clay, or wood symbols for the products they had for sale.
A medium, in advertising talk, is the way you communicate your message. You might say that the first medium used in advertising was signs with symbols. The second medium was audio, or sound, although that term is not used exactly in the way we use it today. Originally, just the human voice and maybe some kind of simple instrument, such as a bell, were used to get people’s attention.
A crier, in the historical sense, is not someone who weeps easily. It is someone, probably a man, with a voice loud enough to be heard over the other noises of a city. In ancient Egypt, shopkeepers might hire such a person to spread the news about their products. Often this earliest form of advertising involved a newly arrived ship loaded with goods. Perhaps the crier described the goods, explained where they came from, and praised their quality. His job was, in other words, not too different from a TV or radio commercial in today’s world.What probably led to the start of advertisement?
| A．The discovery of iron. |
| B．The development of farming techniques. |
| C．The appearance of new jobs. |
| D．The specialization of labor. |
The writer makes up the two stories of Mr. Fielder and Mr. Plowright in order to __________.
| A．explain the origin of advertising |
| B．predict the future of advertising |
| C．provide suggestions for advertising |
| D．expose problems in advertising |
In ancient Egypt, a crier was probably someone who __________.
| A．had the loudest voice |
| B．took possession of a ship |
| C．functioned like today’s TV or radio commercial |
| D．ran a shop selling goods to farmers |
The last two paragraphs are mainly about __________.
| A．the basic design of advertising |
| B．the early forms of advertising |
| C．the benefits of advertising |
| D．the history of advertising |
Accurately forecasting the weather is a very hard thing to do. There are many parts of weather dynamics — the study of how water and air in motion cause weather patterns — to consider. Even the best forecast can be changed by a small weather disturbance halfway around the world. Today’s forecast use complex computer models, weather instruments, and detailed analyses of daily observations to predict the weather. However, it hasn’t always been that way. People, like your grandparents, use folklore and proverbs to help forecast the weather. They remembered what conditions caused changes and observed the factors associated with weather: atmospheric and cloud conditions, temperature, winds, and reactions of plants and animals. Many people believe that this way of forecasting weather is accurate more often than modem forecasting.
Grandma’s aching joints might indicate the arrival of a low-pressure system. She might also observe the geese flying lower than usual, confirming the low-pressure system. Finally, she might feel dampness on her skin, a sign of high humidity (湿度). Based on these three observations, grandma might warn that a storm is brewing.
Joints and nerves can indicate dropping air pressure, dissolved gases in the blood form bubbles under low air pressure. This causes pain in joints and nerve endings. Geese and other birds respond to changes in air pressure by adjusting how high they fly. In the fair, calm weather of a high-pressure system, the birds fly higher than in the stormy weather associated with a low-pressure system.
Nature provides other clues to changing weather. A decrease in air pressure causes deer and elk to come down from the mountains to look for shelter. Some animals feed more than usual. The higher humidity before a storm causes some insects to leave the trees and gather near the ground. Some flowers close so rain doesn’t get inside them. In winter, rhododendron plants curl up to protect themselves as the temperature drops.
Several of the sayings apply in particular areas of the world. Here are some of them.
■Early thunder, early spring.
■Rainbow in the morning gives you fair warning.
■When teeth and bones ache, expect the clouds to fill the lake.
■When high clouds and low clouds do not match together, prepare for a blow and a change in the weather.It is true that ___________.
| A．using folklore and proverbs to forecast weather is more accurate than modem forecasting |
| B．complex computer models and weather instruments can always forecast weather accurately |
| C．modern forecasting cannot always guarantee accurate weather forecasting for some reason |
| D．modem forecasting along with other observations is sure to give accurate weather forecast |
In a low-pressure system, you may notice the following EXCEPT that ___________.
| A．some birds will be seen flying near the surface of the earth |
| B．some flowers close so rain doesn’t get inside |
| C．some animals come down from mountains |
| D．some insects disappear from ground |
It is a fact that the behavior of plants and animals is _________.
| A．likely to reflect long-term weather forecasting |
| B．likely to reflect short-term weather forecasting |
| C．unlikely to reflect any kind of weather forecasting |
| D．more likely to reflect both short-term and long term weather forecasting |
What does the passage mainly tell us?
| A．People can forecast weather with no modern equipment. |
| B．How to use proverbs to forecast weather forecasting. |
| C．Hard as it is, weather forecasting has a scientific base. |
| D．The importance of weather forecasting. |
粤公网安备 44130202000953号