Few people realize that there is a big difference between formal English and informal English. Formal English is used for most writing, and often in public speaking and formal meetings. It pays close attention to grammar rules, because if we use proper grammar, our meaning is often more precise. Also, on important occasions, we do not want to appear uneducated or to offend (冒犯) others, so we are very careful about how we speak. Informal English is used in speaking or writing to our friends and family. It often does not pay such close attention to grammar rules, because when we speak or write to them, we want our words to flow quickly. Also, with our friends and family, we are usually not so worried about appearing uneducated or about offending them by how we write or speak.
A big difference between formal and informal English is the use of contractions. A contraction is where we make a word shorter or where we put two words together and take away some of the letters. For example, instead of saying “do not”, many people say “don’t”. Using contractions in our speech is fine because it sounds natural, especially when we speak to our friends. In formal writing, however, contractions are usually avoided because people might think that you have made a mistake, or that you do not know proper grammar.
In the same way we might make words shorter, in informal English we often make sentences shorter as well. For example, if someone asks you your name, you will likely answer with one word: your first name. However, in formal English we usually use complete sentences. For example, we might write “My name is John”. In most speaking, we may not need to use every word in a sentence because the person we are speaking to will probably still understand us. In most writing, however, every word in a sentence must be written out in order to make sure that we can be understood.When we use formal English, _______.
| A．we will offend others |
| B．we will appear educated on important occasions |
| C．we needn’t pay more attention to grammar rules |
| D．we can express ourselves more directly and more quickly |
What’s the meaning of the underlined word “precise”?
| A．clear | B．direct | C．puzzling | D．simple |
Contractions are best used when we are _______.
| A．speaking at a formal meeting | B．speaking in public |
| C．speaking to our friends | D．writing an application (申请) letter |
In speaking, we do not always use complete sentences because ______.
| A．we do not care about grammar | B．we do not want to sound stupid |
| C．we can still be understood | D．we don’t want to waste time |
Christmas bird – watching is popular in the U.S.A. When the holiday season comes, some Americans are likely to watch and count birds in the sky with great interest every day. This activity began in the early part of the last century. It has a one-hundred-year history. At that time, there was a so-called “holiday hunting” custom. In order to celebrate the holiday, the hunters went out to kill birds and beasts. By 1900, there were 27 bird lovers who decided to count birds instead of killing birds. Since then, Christmas bird-watching was held every year. It has been continued to the present.
There were 42000 people who took part in the bird-watching last Christmas, from December 16 the year before to January 3 next year. They were in the United States and Canada, central America, south America and the Caribbean, watching and counting birds in the sky. The whole viewing area was divided into 1600 points. Each birdwatcher was responsible for 25 meters, and was required to write down the types and quantities of birds within 24 hours.
A birdwatcher described what he had watched vividly in his diary—“ When I looked up, I saw a beautiful ‘landscape’ in the sky: Red-crowned cranes(丹顶鹤) were driving up in cunning wedges that split the air. They were so neatly arranged, coordinating their movements. I was excited and breathtaking. Interestingly, the “human” shape(人字行) always maintains 110° ” .
“Why do red-crowned cranes choose to use ‘human’ shape when flying in formation?” He continued, “In my opinion, there are four reasons: first, the ‘human’ shape can make red-crowned cranes use increasing air which is produced by each other’s wings when they are swinging in the sky. It can increase the glide time and save physical ability. Second, the ‘human’ shape will enhance communication among the birds. The orders and the relevant information issued by the lead bird can be conveyed to each member in this migratory group unimpeded, accurately, rapidly and conveniently. Third, such a formation will help to find the birds left behind because of feeling run down as fast as possible, so that the young, the weak, the sick birds can get everyone’s help and encouragement. Finally, the ‘human’ shape shows not only beauty but also unity. It can give enemies a deterrent.They will be terrified and did not dare to attack the birds.The migration security of the birds will be ensured.”
Environmental experts admired and evaluated Christmas bird-watching highly. They pointed out that it made perfect sense. On the one hand it could enhance the human awareness of environmental protection. On the other hand it could provide first-hand information on birds.
49．When did Christmas bird – watching begin?
A．Sometime during Christmas holiday. B．At the beginning of 20th century.
C．In the early 19 th century. D．Since there was Christmas Day
50．What do bird – watchers do when they are bird – watching?
A．They kill birds and beasts. B．They watch birds and beasts.
C．They watch and count birds. D．They look at the sky and write diaries.
51．The following are all reasons for red – crowned cranes flying in “human” shape except .
A．they can help each other and ensure their safety
B．they can communicate with each other in order to reduce tiredness.
C．they can make use of the air produced by each other’s wings.
D．they can look stronger in case they come across enemies
52．This passage consists of five paragraphs. Please arrange the five main ideas of the paragraphs in order of their appearance in the passage.
a. How the bird – watchers divided their watching task and what was done.
b. How Christmas bird – watching came into being.
c. Christmas bird – watching is of great importance environmentally and scientifically.
d. A Christmas bird – watcher watched and was amazed by red – crowned cranes.
e. Red – crowned cranes fly in “human” formation for quite good reasons.
A．a – b – c – d – e B．b – c – e – d – a C．b- a – d – e – c D．b – d – e – a – c
That little “a” with a circle curling around it that is found in E – mail addresses is most commonly referred to as the “at” symbol.
Surprisingly though, there is no official, universal name for this sign. There are dozens of strange terms to describe the "@" symbol.
Before it became the standard symbol for electronic mail, the "@" symbol was used to represent the cost of something or how heavy something is. For instance, if you purchased 6 apples, you might write it as 6 apples "@" $1.10 each.
With the introduction of e-mail came the popularity of the "@" symbol. The "@" symbol or the "at sign" separates a person's online user name from his mail server(服务器) address. For instance, joe@uselessknowledge.com. Its widespread use on the Internet made it necessary to put this symbol on keyboards in other countries that have never seen or used the symbol before. As a result, there is really no official name for this symbol.
The actual origin of the symbol remains a mystery. History tells us that the @ symbol came from the tired hands of the Middle Ages. During the Middle Ages before the invention of printing machines, every letter of a word had to be copied with great efforts by hand for each copy of a published book. The monks that performed these long, boring copying duties looked for ways to reduce the number of individual strokes (笔画) per word for common words. Although the word “at” is quite short to begin with, it was a common enough word in text and documents so that those monks thought it would be quicker and easier to shorten the word “at” even more. As a result, the monks changed the shape of “t” into a circle to surround “a”, thus leaving out two strokes in the spelling “t”.
45．Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
A．How “at” developed into @. B．How @ came into being.
C．How monks invented @. D．How people wrote the cost of something.
46．Who knows the origin of @?
A．Nobody B．Monks C．Apple buyers D．Internet users
47．Which is NOT the reason for the monks to spell “at” as @?
A．Though “at” is short, it was used very often.
B．The monks wanted to be quicker and easier with their copying.
C．The monks wanted to invent a new word.
D．Copying work was long and boring for them.
48．According to the paragraph , which is TRUE about the symbol of @ today?
A．When you are online, you must use the @ symbol.
B．Kittly 163.com@is an email address.
C．In countries where @ is used, governments have given it an official name.
D．It is likely to find the @ symbol on computer keyboards worldwide.
Wind is the great maker of waves. There are exceptions, such as the tidal waves, sometimes produces by earthquakes under the sea. But the waves most of us know are produced by winds blowing over the sea.Now before constructing an imaginary life history of a typical wave, we need to know certain physical things about it. A wave has height, from trough (low point)to crest (high point),and it has length—the distance from this crest to that of the following wave. The period of the wave means the time it takes for succeeding crests to pass a fixed point. None of these things stays the same— for all depend upon the depth of the water and many other matters.
The water that makes up a wave does not advance with it across the sea. Each drop of water turns around in a little circle with the passing of the wave, but returns very nearly to its original position. And it is fortunate that this is so, for if the huge masses of water that make up a wave actually moved across the sea, sailing would be impossible.
If we want to find the speed of a wave, we may use the following way:
Speeding="Wavelength×Frequency"
Here, wavelength is the distance between two high points (crests), frequency means the number of cycles per second.
41.What causes waves according to the passage?
Earthquakes and nothing else. B. Wind and volcanos.
C. Wind and earthquakes. D. Wind and water.
42.Which of the following is true according to the text?
A. The water of a wave moves away across the sea.
B. The water of a wave remains almost in the same place.
C. The water of a wave goes with the passing of the wave.
D. The length of a wave means the distance between crest and trough.
43.The underlined word “succeeding” means__________.
A. reaching an aim B. doing well C. following after D. taking place
44.If the speed of wave 1 is 100 cm/s, and its frequency 10;and the frequency of wave 2 is 300,while its speed is twice that of wave 1.Which of the following is true?
A. The wave-lengths of the two are equal.
B. The wave-length of wave 1 is 10 times longer than that of Wave 2.
C. The wave-length of wave 2 is longer than that of wave 1.
D. The wave-length of wave 1 is longer than that of wave 2.
Guangzhou （Xinhua）——12 people were killed and 20 injured early yesterday morning when they jumped from a burning train car into the path of an oncoming goods train in Southern China. When No. 247 Wuchang——Guangzhou passenger train was passing the Dayaoshan Tunnel in Guangdong Province， South China at 00 ：17 yesterday， a fire caused by passengers' smoking broke out on No. 17 car. They wanted to extinguish fire. As the train stopped some frightened passengers jumped from windows. 12 people were crushed to death and 20 others injured by a northward passing goods train（No. 1766）。
1. In which direction did the passenger train travel？
A. Northward. B. Southward. C. Eastward. D. Westward.
2. When did the accident happen？
A. At 00：17 am. B. At 00：17 pm.
C. At seventeen past one. D. At seventeen to one.
3. Where did the accident happen？
A. In Wuchang. B. In Guangzhou.
C. In Hubei. D. In Guangdong.
4. What was the cause of the fire？
A. A heavy rain. B. High temperature. C. Carelessness. D. Fear.
More and more often we heard of people talking about Karaoke（卡拉OK）。 But what on earth it is about， still remains a question for many people. Karaoke is a sort of acoustic equipment which was invented in Japan around the middle of the 1970's. It means "a band without people" in Japanese. In fact， it is just a music tape without words. This equipment first appeared in some public houses and snack bars， and mainly for the customers to enjoy themselves. Most of the music in Karaoke was popular music. Therefore， at times， when anyone felt like it， he might sing songs to the accompaniment of the music that came from the equipment. Shortly after its invention， Karaoke was spread to the whole world. It was introduced to China and was welcomed by many people. Although you are not a good singer， or even sometimes you may sing out of tune， you can always enjoy yourself by singing Karaoke.
1. In this passage "band" means "group of persons ________."
A. who play games on the sports ground
B. who play music together
C. living in the same neighborhood
D. doing things together under a leader and with a common purpose
2. Karaoke is just a ______.
A. cassette tape with only music
B. cassette tape recorder
C. band from Japan
D. voice recording equipment
3. Karaoke was spread to the whole world ________.
A. as soon as it was invented
B. long before
C. not long after it was invented
D. before long
4. The main idea of this passage is ______.
A. all persons like to play Karaoke
B. to introduce Karaoke to the people
C. Karaoke is a wonderful equipment
D. Karaoke is used everywhere including snack bars
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