“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. 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 preposterous (unreasonable)， 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．voicing his opinion |
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 its own characteristics. |
| C．Because he wanted to show that the USA is stronger than the UK. |
| D．Because he wanted to achieve political freedom. |
Which of the following would probably be the best title for the passage?
| A．Webster’s Dictionary. |
| B．American Identity |
| C．The Shaper of American English |
| D．Spelling Differences Between American and British English. |
Here are my three photos.
This is my friend,Wu Huan.She is a good girl.She is 11 years old.She is in Chongqing with her family.She likes vegetables and chicken.She doesn’t like ice cream or strawberries.
This is me.My name is Chen Ming. I am 12 years old.I am a middle school student in Suzhou.I like eating fruit and vegetables. But I don’t like eggs or carrots.
This is my friend,too.His name is Doudou. He is in Suzhou with me. He likes bones( 骨头 ). He doesn’t like vegetables .He likes playing with balls. He is a nice dog!
根据短文内容选择正确答案：How many friends does Chen Ming have?
| A．one | B．two | C．three | D．Four |
Where is Wu Huan?
| A．In Chongqing | B．In Suzhou | C．In Hangzhou | D．In Wuhan |
Doudou likes_________.
| A．ice cream | B．bones | C．vegetables | D．eggs |
Which sentence(句子) is true(正确)?
| A．Wu Huan is 12 years old. |
| B．Doudou is Wu Huan’s friend. |
| C．Doudou is a nice boy. |
| D．Chen Ming and Wu Huan like vegetables |
Which is the best title( 标题 ) of the text?
| A．My family and I | B．My family |
| C．My dog and I | D．My three photos |
Do you like T-shirts? Do you need hats in different colors? Now, boys and girls,come and look at Huaxing Clothes Store.
| clothes |
Color |
price |
| sweater |
white, blue, red, yellow |
$12 |
| T-shirt |
black, green, orange, white |
$9 |
| trousers |
red, black, blue |
$8 |
| socks |
yellow, blue, white |
$4 |
| hat |
orange, red, black |
$6 |
根据短文内容选择正确答案： If you like red and have only $ 7, you can buy .
| A．a sweater | B．a hat | C．a T-shirt | D．a bag |
If Jack only has 20 dollars, he can buy .
| A．two sweaters | B．two T-shirts and a hat |
| C．a pair of trousers and a sweater | D．three pairs of socks and a T-shirt |
In Huaxing Clothes Store people can buy .
| A．orange sweaters | B．green hats | C．white trousers | D．blue socks |
How much are three pairs of black trousers and an orange T-shirt?
| A．$33. | B．$30. | C．$35. | D．$21. |
They don’t have hats.
| A．orange | B．yellow | C．red | D．black |
______________
Song Zuying is the most famous soprano(女高音歌唱家) in China. In the eyes of the Chinese people, Song Zuying is the star of oriental art(东方艺术).She was born in a beautiful place–Guzhang County in West Hunan. In recent years, she has been awarded many highest prizes in various music contests. She loves her hometown and does a lot for the people there.__________________
Wen Jiabao is the premier(总理) of the world’s most populous(人口众多的) country. But, millions of people would rather call him“grandpa”.Always in plain(朴素的) jackets, he seems an ordinary old man with a kind smile. But in the face of disasters he has the power to pull together the whole country._________________
Ding Cong, a famous cartoonist(漫画家) in China, died on May 26,2009.He started to draw cartoons more than seventy years ago, but he always called himself Xiao Ding of Little Ding.
He seemed to have a lot to learn in this world. His cartoons are humorous(幽默的) and interesting and loved by the old and the young in China._________________
An 18–meter high “Olympic torch(火炬)”made of more than 110,000 pots of flowers, the biggest “Olympic torch” in the world, is seen at the Liberation Park in Wuhan, Hubei Province. The “Olympic torch” was exhibited at the opening ceremony（开幕式） of the 2008 Wuhan Flower Expo(展览会) to express local people’s best wishes to this summer Olympic Games.________________
Liu Qian is the only magician(魔术师) form Taiwan invited by Las Vegas and the Hollywood Magic Castle for performance(表演).When Liu Qian was 7 years old, he started to study magic. The first magic he performed was to put a coin into his mouth and then take is out from his hindbrain(后脑).Now Liu’s magic tricks have made the old art popular again, and made him the hottest magician in China.
| A．The premier is our “grandpa”. |
| B．The most famous soprano in China. |
| C．The cartoonist who was loved by old and young. |
| D．The famous magician from Taiwan. |
E. The biggest “Olympic torch” in the world.
My brother and I often fight with each other over small things. One day our father said to us, “Tomorrow we will take part in the Ray Home Sports Day. Both of you must go with me. Perhaps you can learn something from those children.” My brother laughed, “Dad, Ray is a home for physically disabled children. What can we learn from them?”
“You will see,” our father said.
Our father works as a volunteer at Ray. The children there have problems with their hands, speech, walking or hearing. Every day, he spends hours helping th em to move or exer cise their legs or arms.
The following day, he took us to Ray Home. When we got there, we found a nice place to sit down. Finally, the sports began. There was a 50-meter race to see who could run fastest. All the runners were physically disabled. As the race started, all the children moved as fast as they could. Just then, one of the girls fell over and hurt her leg. She began to cry at the top of her voice.
All the children stopped to help the poor girl. Then they all held hands and finished the race together. My brother and I were surprised to see this: the children weren’t interested in winning the race－they were more interested in helping each other to finish the race.Why did the father take the writer and his brother to Ray Home?
| A．The father wanted them to do something at Ray. |
| B．The father asked them to help the children at Ray. |
| C．The father wanted them to take part in the Sports Day. |
| D．The father wanted them to learn something from the children. |
What does the fat her often do in Ray Home?
| A．He works as a teacher there. | B．He helps the children there. |
| C．He watches the games there. | D．He does sports with his sons. |
Why did all the children stop in the 50-meter race stop?
| A．All the children were disabled. | B．A little girl fell over and got hurt. |
| C．They stopped to laugh at the girl. | D．They didn’t want to finish the race. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．The children there can help each other. |
| B．All the runners there can not run fast. |
| C．All the children don’t want to be winners. |
| D．The disabled children there were not smart enough. |
I’m Jack, and I am a middle school student. Yesterday was the most exciting day in my life. I was on TV! This is my first time on TV. In the evening, Mum, Dad and I were watching a TV programme in the sitting room and there I was! This is how it happened.
I was playing soccer in the park with my friends when a man and a woman came to us. The man had a camera. The woman had a microphone. “I’m from Channel 9,” she said. “Do you know the programme Kid’s Speak Out?” I did know it. I watched it often. It’s a weekly programme where kids say what they think about different things.
“Would you like to be on it?” the woman asked me.
I wanted to be on it and I thought my friends might also want to be on it, so I asked, “Can my friends be on it too?”
“Sorry, only one of you can,” the woman said. “You can talk about it and decide which of you is going to be on the programme.”
I asked my friends if they wanted to be on the programme. They didn’t, so I went on it. The woman asked me a lot of questions. I thought carefully and tried to give sensible answers. When she finished, she said I was one of the best kids she’d spoken to! I felt very proud of myself. My mum and dad were proud of me too!Jack was excited yesterday because he .
| A．watched a TV programme with his parents |
| B．was on TV for the first time |
| C．played soccer in the park with his friends |
| D．saw the hosts of the programme Kid’s Speak Out |
How did the thing happen?
①Jack asked his friends if they wanted to be on the programme.
②The woman asked Jack if he’d like to be on the programme.
③The woman asked Jack a lot of questions.
④Jack played soccer in the park with friends.
⑤Jack thought carefully and tried to give answers.
| A．④①③②⑤ | B．④②①③⑤ | C．④③②①⑤ | D．④⑤③①② |
What does the word sensible mean in the passage?
| A．明智的 | B．可能的 | C．合理的 | D．正确的 |
What can we know about Jack from the passage?
| A．Jack’s parents were proud of him. |
| B．Jack was the top student at school. |
| C．Jack was afraid to be on the programme. |
| D．Jack never watched the programme Kid’s Speak Out. |
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