“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. |
An eight-year-old child heard her parents talking about her little brother. All she knew was that he was very sick and they had no money. Only a very expensive operation(手术) could save him now and there was no one to lend them the money.
When she heard her daddy say to her tearful mother, “Only a miracle can save him now，” the little girl went to her bedroom and pulled her money from its hiding place and counted it carefully.
She hurried to a drugstore（药店）with the money in her hand. “And what do you want？” asked the shopkeeper. “It’s for my little brother,” the girl answered, “He’s really，really sick and I want to buy a miracle.” “Pardon？” said the shopkeeper. “My brother Andrew has something bad growing inside his head and my daddy says only a miracle can save him. So how much does a miracle cost？” “We don’t sell a miracle here，child. I’m sorry，” the shopkeeper said with a smile. “Listen，if it isn’t enough, I can try and get some more. Just tell me how much it costs.”
A well-dressed man heard it and asked，“What kind of a miracle does your brother need？” “I don’t know,” she answered with her eyes full of tears. “He’s really sick and mum says he needs an operation. But my daddy can’t pay for it，so I have brought all my money.” “How much do you have,” asked the man. “$ 1.11, but I can try and get some more,” she answered. “Well，Good luck! ” smiled the man. “$ 1.11，the price of a miracle for your little brother.”
He took up the girl’s hand and said，“Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let’s see if I have the kind of miracle you need.”
That well-dressed man was Dr Carlton Armstrong, a famous doctor. The operation was successful and it wasn’t long before Andrew was at home again. How much did the miracle cost？What was the trouble in the little girl’s family？
A. Her brother was seriously ill.
B. They had no money.
C. Nothing could save her brother.
D. Both A and B.In the eye of the little girl，a miracle might be _______.
| A．something interesting | B．something beautiful |
| C．some wonderful medicine | D．some good food |
The little girl said again and again “…I can try and get some more.” That shows ___.
| A．she had still kept some money |
| B．she hoped the shopkeeper could sell her a miracle |
| C．There was no need to worry about money |
| D．she thought money was easy to get |
What made the miracle happen？
| A．The girl’s love for her brother. |
| B．The girl’s money. |
| C．The medicine from the drugstore. |
| D．Nobody can tell. |
From the passage we can infer (推断)that _______.
| A．The doctor didn’t ask for any pay |
| B．A miracle is sure to happen if you keep on |
| C．The little girl is lovely but not so clever |
| D．Andrew was in fact not too sick. |
Now cities are full of cars. Some families even have two or more cars. Parking is a great problem, and so is the traffic in and around the cities. Something will have to be done to change it.
What will the cars of tomorrow be like?
Little cars may some day take the place of today’s big cars. If everyone drives little cars in the future, there will be less pollution in the air. There will also be more space for parking cars in cities, and the streets will be less crowded. Three little cars can fit in the space now needed for one car of the usual size.
The little cars will cost much less to own and to drive. Driving will be safer, too. What is more, these little cars can go about 65 kilometers per hour.
Little cars of the future will be fine for getting around a city, but they will not be useful for long trips. If big cars are still used along with the small ones, two sets of roads will be needed in the future. Some roads will be used for the big, fast cars, and other roads will be needed for the slower small ones.Cars in the future mustn’t bring ________ pollution in the air.
| A．more | B．fewer | C．less | D．no |
The little car’s size may be ________ today’s car’s size.
| A．one third of | B．two thirds of |
| C．as big as | D．as small as |
Little cars are very fine for ________.
| A．long trips | B．journeys |
| C．everyday life | D．sport |
The big cars are ________ the little cars for long trips.
| A．as useful as | B．not so useful as |
| C．more useful than | D．less useful than |
People began making clocks over 500 years ago. The first clocks had only one hand---the hour hand. At a later time the clocks had the minute hand. The first clocks were big and heavy. Some rich people had servants (仆人) to carry the clocks when they were out. Time passed and clocks became smaller.
Bells became a part of some large clocks in cities and towns. They were for people unable to see the clock. Some clocks were in large towers（塔）. Some of them are 400 or 500 years old now. Big Ben in London is a very famous tower clock.
Now many people have alarm clocks (闹钟) to wake them up to go to work or go to school.
So clocks are the very important part of people’s life.People began to make clocks ________ 500 years ago.
| A．less than | B．for | C．more than | D．without |
At the beginning the clocks had ________ .
| A．one hand | B．two hands |
| C．three hands | D．four hands |
Bells were made for ________ .
| A．the old people | B．everyone |
| C．the people unable to see the clock | D．the children |
Alarm clocks can help people ________ .
| A．work hard | B．wake up |
| C．see the time | D．go to bed |
任务型阅读 ，阅读下列短文，根据短文中的信息完成文后表格。（每空一词)
As you know, homework is a big part of going to school. Luckily, here are several suggestions for you to make homework easy.
Make a homework plan
Most middle school students have two or three hours of homework a night. If it is a heavy homework day, you may need to spend even more time. It is a good idea to come up with some kind of homework schedule(进度表), especially if you are going to do sports or other activities after school.
Watch where you work
A bedroom, study or any room where you can get away from noise is good for you to do your homework. But don't study on your comfortable bed, or you might fall asleep there.
Take a break
Most people's attention (注意力) don't last very long, so take some breaks while doing your homework. Sitting for too long without relaxing will make you less productive(多产的) than if you stop to take a break regularly. Taking a 15-minute break every hour is a good way for most people.
Get help when you need it
Sometimes even though you are listening carefully in class, some subjects seem too hard. The first person to ask for help is your teacher. He or she may be able to work with you before or after school and explain things more clearly. Your classmates may also be able to give you a hand. However, this might not give you the results you want. Lots of people understand something well but are not able to explain it.
| Title: Homework Help |
||
| Topic |
Homework can be quite hard, but there is something you can do to make homework much __ |
|
| Useful ___ |
Making a homework plan |
Heavy homework means ____ |
| ____ where you work |
It is necessary for you to study in a __ |
|
| Taking a break |
If you ___ |
|
| Getting help |
The ____ You may also get ___ |
There was a lovely vegetable patch (菜园). A large tree grew there. Both the patch and the tree gave the place a wonderful look, and they were the pride(骄傲) of the gardener. But no one know that the vegetables and the tree couldn’t stand (忍受) each other. The vegetables hated the tree’s shadow (阴影) , because it left them only just enough light to live. The tree, on the other hand, hated the vegetables because they drank nearly all the water, leaving him just enough to live.
Their problem became so serious that the vegetables decided to use up all the water in the ground so that the tree would die. The tree answered back by not protecting the vegetables from the hot sun, so they began to dry up. Soon the vegetables were really weak, and the tree was drying up.
The gardener wondered why and stopped watering them. When he did that, both the tree and the vegetables found that it was better to help each other. They learned how to live in harmony with those around them. So they decided to work together, using both the shade and the water to grow well. After seeing how well they were doing, the gardener gave the best care to the vegetable patch, watering and fertilizing (施肥) it better than any other patch for miles around.Why didn’t the vegetables and the tree get on well with each other?
| A．Because the vegetables wanted more light. |
| B．Because the tree drank almost all the water. |
| C．Because the vegetables weren’t the pride of the gardener. |
| D．Because the vegetables didn’t look as wonderful as tree. |
From the passage we know ______.
| A．The vegetables were sorry to see the tree drying up. |
| B．The gardener was very angry with the vegetables and the tree. |
| C．The gardener didn’t know what was happening in the patch at first. |
| D．The tree didn’t know how important the sun was to vegetables. |
The underlined phrase “in harmony” means “______” in the Chinese.
| A．长久地 | B．小心地 |
| C．有效地 | D．和谐地 |
The passage is mainly about _______.
| A．why the sunlight and water were very important |
| B．how the gardener took care of his vegetable patch |
| C．why the gardener was proud of his vegetable patch |
| D．what happened between the vegetables and the tree |
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