To master a language one must be able to speak and understand the spoken language as well as to read and write．Lenin and his wife translated a long English book into Russian but when they went to England in 1902, English people couldn't understand a word Lenin and his wife said, and Lenin and his wife couldn't understand what was said to them．This shows the importance of spoken language．
Speaking, of course can't go without listening．If you want to pronounce a word correctly, first you must hear it correctly．The sounds of Chinese and English languages are not exactly the same．If you don't listen carefully, you'll find it difficult or even impossible to understand the native speakers．
Well, what about writing﹖ Like speaking, it's to exchange ideas．People usually use shorter words and shorter sentences in their writing．
The important thing is to make your idea clear in your mind and then to write it in a clear lively language．
Chinese students read too slowly．If you read fast, you understand better．If you read too slowly by the time you have reached to the end of a page you have forgotten what the beginning is about．When you meet with new words don't look them up in the dictionary．Guess the meaning to form the context. You may not guess quite correctly the first time but as new words appear again and again in different context their meaning will become clearer and clearer. If you look up every word you'll never finish a book．
Students of a foreign language need a particular knowledge, the knowledge of the life, history and geography of the people whose language they're studying. They should study those subjects in the foreign language not only in translation．In this way one can kill two birds with one stone: learn a foreign language and get some knowledge of the foreign country at the same time．In England Lenin ．
| A．could be understood by Englishmen |
| B．could understand Englishmen |
| C．and Englishmen couldn't understand each other |
| D．and Englishmen could understand each other |
In the first paragraph the writer told us ．
| A．how to speak English |
| B．how to read and write |
| C．why English people couldn't understand the Lenins |
| D．spoken English is important |
In the fifth paragraph the writer advised us on ．
| A．how to guess the meaning of the words |
| B．how to read fast |
| C．how to look up new words in the dictionary |
| D．how to read carefully |
“Kill two birds with one stone” means ．
| A．to get some particular knowledge |
| B．to get more than what one pays |
| C．the stone is very useful |
| D．the birds are blind enough |
In the last paragraph the writer advised us ．
| A．to kill two birds with one stone |
| B．to learn two languages at the same time |
| C．to study all the subjects in a foreign language |
| D．to get some knowledge of the foreign country whose language we are studying |
Bowing is a very important custom in Japan. Unlike people in many other countries, they greet each other by bowing instead of shaking hands. It is impolite not to return a bow to whoever bows to you.
Bowing has many functions in one. It expresses the feeling of respect, thanks, regret, and so on. You can bow when you say, “thank you”, “sorry”, “hello”, “goodbye”, “congratulations”, “excuse me”, “good morning”, and more.
Bowing seems simple, but there are different ways of bowing. Bowing techniques vary from a small nod of the head to a long, 90-degree bow. It depends on the social position or age of the person you bow to. If your opposite is of higher social position or older than yourself, you are supposed to bow deeper and longer than him or her. It is polite to bow from your waist. Men usually keep their hands at their sides, and women usually put their hands together on their legs with their fingers touching. If it is not a very formal situation, you can bow by nodding. The most common bow is a bow of about 15 degrees.
You might feel strange doing it, but try to bow in Japan. You will be considered very polite!The author writes the passage mainly to _____.
| A．introduce the history of bowing in Japan |
| B．describe the purposes of bowing in Japan |
| C．describe different ways of bowing in Japan |
| D．introduce the Japanese custom of bowing |
By saying “Bowing has many functions in one”, the author means that _____.
| A．one kind of bow has many similar functions |
| B．people can express different feelings by bowing |
| C．people bow to express their feelings |
| D．the more times you bow, the more respect you receive |
How people greet in many countries?
| A．by bowing | B．by shaking hands |
| C．by kissing each other | D．by touching |
If an assistant wants to show respect to her professor, she may bow like _____.
A B C D
Today, roller skating is easy and fun. But a long time ago, it wasn't easy at all. Before 1750, the idea of skating didn't exist. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin's work was making musical instruments. In his spare time he liked to play the violin. Joseph Merlin was a man of ideas and dreams. People called him a dreamer.
One day Merlin received an invitation to attend a fancy dress ball. He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think how to make a grand entrance at the party. He had an idea. He thought he would get a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.
Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skates. Merlin was very proud of his invention and dreamed of arriving at the party on wheels while playing the violin.
On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room playing his violin. Everyone was astonished to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skates. He rolled on and on. Suddenly, he ran into a huge mirror that was hanging on the wall. Down fell the mirror, breaking to pieces. Nobody forgot Merlin's grand entrance for a long time!The text is mainly about_________.
| A．a strange man | B．how roller skating began |
| C．an unusual party | D．how people enjoyed themselves in the 18th century |
People thought Merlin was a dreamer because he________.
| A．often gave others surprises | B．was a gifted musician |
| C．was full of imagination | D．invented the roller skates |
Merlin put wheels under his shoes in order to_______.
| A．test his invention | B．arrive at the party sooner |
| C．impress the party guests | D．show his skill in walking on wheels |
What is the main point the writer is trying to make in the last paragraph?
| A．Merlin succeeded beyond expectation. |
| B．The party guests took Merlin for a fool. |
| C．The roller skates needed further improvement. |
| D．Merlin regretted what he had done |
When Paul was a boy growing up in Utah, he happened to live near a copper smelter(炼铜厂), and the chemicals that poured out had made a wasteland out of what used to be a beautiful forest. One day a young visitor looked at this wasteland and called it an awful area. Paul knocked him down. From then on, something happened inside him.
Years later Paul was back in the area, and he went to the smelter office. He asked if they had any plans or if they would let him try to bring the trees back. The answer from that big industry was “No.”
Paul then went to college to study the science of plants. Unfortunately, his teachers said there weren't any birds or squirrels to spread the seeds. It would be a waste of his life to try to do it. He was told everyone knew that even if he was knowledgeable as he had expected, he wouldn't get his idea accepted.
Paul later got married and had some kids. But, his dream would not die. And then one night he did what he could with what he had. Under the cover of darkness, he went secretly into the wasteland and started planting.
And every week, he made his secret journey into the wasteland and planted trees and grass. For fifteen years he did this against the plain common sense. Slowly rabbits appeared. Later, as there was legal pressure to clean up the environment, the company actually hired Paul to do what he was already doing.
Now the place is fourteen thousand acres of trees and grass and bushes, and Paul has received almost every environmental award Utah has. It took him until his hair turned white, but he managed to keep that impossible vow(誓言) he made to himself as a child.When Paul was a boy, _________.
| A．he had decided never to leave his hometown |
| B．the economy of Utah depended on the copper smelter |
| C．he had determined to stop the copper smelter polluting the area |
| D．no laws were made to protect the environment against pollution |
Why did Paul go to college to study the science of plants?
| A．He wanted to find out the best way to save the area himself. |
| B．He was interested in planting trees since he was young. |
| C．He wanted to get more knowledgeable people to help him. |
| D．He thought his knowledge would make his advice more persuasive. |
What does the underlined phrase “the plain common sense” in paragraph 5 probably refer to?
| A．That his normal work and life would be greatly affected. |
| B．That it was impossible for trees to grow on the wasteland. |
| C．That no one would like to join him in the efforts. |
| D．That he had to keep everything he did secret. |
The message of the passage is that ___________.
| A．perseverance(持之以恒) will work wonders |
| B．action speaks louder than words |
| C．God helps those who help themselves |
| D．many hands make light work. |
Commencement (毕业典礼) is a time for idealism.
But economic reality is cruel everywhere; especially for new graduate. They have been told repeatedly that a college degree is an open sesame(芝麻) to the global economy. But that’s not necessarily so, according to new research by two economists at he Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Frank Levy and Peter Temin.
It is true that people with college degrees make more money than people without degrees. The gap has narrowed somewhat in recent years, which is disturbing. But the earning power of college graduates still far outpaces that of less-educated workers.
The bad news, though, is that a college degree does not ensure a bigger share of the economics pie for many graduates. In recent decades Mr. Levy and Mr. Temin show, only college-educated women have seen their income grow in line with economy wide gains in productivity. The earnings of male college graduates have failed to keep pace with productivity gains.
Instead, a huge share of productivity growth, which expands the nation’s income, is going to Americans on the top of the income scale. In 2005, the latest year with available data, the top of 1 percent of Americans---whose average annual income was $ 1.1 million--- took in 21.8 percent of the nation’s income, their largest share since 1929.
Administration officials, and other politicians and economists, often, believe that income inequality, reflects an education gap. But Mr. Levy and Mr. Temin show that in the case of men, the average bachelor’s degree is not enough to catch the rising tide of the global economy.
They argue that the real reason that inequality is worsening is the lack of strong policies that broadly distribute economic gains. In the past, for example, a more progressive income tax and unions promote equality. Positive measures have been eroding and new ones have not yet emerged, making the income gap even greater.
Mr. Levy and Mr. Temin conclude that only a new government policy can restore general prosperity. That’s a challenge to the nation’s leader and today’s graduates. America needs them to contribute to the development of the nation in global economy.The passage is mainly about that _______.
| A．there is a big income gap between female and male college graduates in America. |
| B．college graduates find it hard to find an ideal job after graduation in America. |
| C．research shows that American government should take measures to ensure income equality for college graduates |
| D．college degrees are losing value in America. |
What is the main idea of paragraph 5?
| A．The whole nation has enjoyed a big income growth with the growth of productivity. |
| B．Much of the total income in America has been gained by a few very rich people. |
| C．A small part of people in America have income increase. |
| D．Upper class Americans contribute most to productivity growth. |
The underlined word “eroding” in paragraph 7 probably means _______.
| A．being gradually destroyed by wind or rain |
| B．gradually reducing power |
| C．gradually disappearing |
| D．gradually not suitable |
We can infer from the passage that _______.
| A．female college graduates have higher income than male ones. |
| B．female college graduates have benefited from some governmental measures to ensure their income growth. |
| C．income tax can grantee income equality. |
| D．new measures and policies have been taken to promote income equality. |
From the passage, some economists believe that the worsening income inequality is caused by ______.
| A．lower college degree of college graduates |
| B．lack of proper governmental policies |
| C．gender discrimination |
| D．underdevelopment of economy and productivity. |
The name “cowboy” conjures up many different images from movies, songs and TV. These imagined cowboys range from white-hat-wearing heroes to gun-shooting hooligans(流氓).But, cowboys are actually real people from US history.
When the US Civil War ended, many soldiers had no place to call home. So, they began to drift to the country’s rural West. Ranchers(农场主) hired these men to take care of the cattle and work around the ranch. When the ranch owner wanted to sell the cattle, the cowboys would round up the herd from the open prairie(牧场) and drive the cattle miles to the market.
With the invention of barbed wire(铁丝网),the cowboy era(1865-1890) began to come to an end. But people in the East had always been curious about their lifestyle. Many country/western songs during this time tried to capture the true cowboy spirit. Newspapers published cowboy tales in serial form and adventure novels followed. The bigger the fiction, the better the sales. These novels often portrayed cowboys as cruel and violent men. Cowboys carried the bad reputation for many years afterwards.
When movies began to be popular in the 1920s, the cowboy image changed again. Now, a cowboy became the great white knight(骑士) that loved his horse more than the beautiful ladies he rescued. As the cowboy of the “Old West” spent more time with his horse than the ladies, this era's image was not entirely false.
Then, in the 50s,Hollywood began producing so-called “spaghetti westerns(意大利西部片)”.They earned the nickname because Italian companies financed the films and TV shows. This started the decade’s “Cowboy Craze”. While this didn’t last long, it made modern country / western music, fashion and dance extremely popular.
In recent years, with the help of musicians, radio stations and bars, cowboy nostalgia(怀旧情绪) has returned. Even though his image is still changing — somewhere between ballad singing country boy and bar room fighter — there’s one thing for sure, you can’t keep the cowboy down.The purpose of this story is to ______.
| A．introduce cowboy movies and novels |
| B．introduce various productions associated with cowboys |
| C．show the cowboy's everlasting charm |
| D．inform us about the cowboy’s spirit |
Before they became cowboys, they ______.
| A．served in the army | B．worked as bar-room fighters |
| C．owned ranches | D．were adventurous explorers |
During “the cowboy era” mentioned in the story, ______________.
| A．the cowboy often came to the rescue of ladies in newspaper tales |
| B．the distant Wild West appealed to people in the East |
| C．cowboys were shown as cruel and violent men on the silver screen |
| D．country music started the cowboy craze which swept the whole country |
By saying “you can’t keep the cowboy down”, the writer means that ______.
| A．cowboys are real people in history | B．cowboys still fascinate people |
| C．you can't make cowboys unhappy | D．you can’t grasp the cowboy spirit |
Which of the following statements would the writer agree to?
| A．The cowboy has been presented in different lights in different eras. |
| B．Cowboys are gun-shooting hooligans, without doubt. |
| C．Cowboys have always been a passing phenomenon. |
| D．Cowboys enjoy Italian foods, for example, spaghetti. |
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