I am a writer. I spend a great deal of my time thinking about the power of language—the way it can evoke (唤起) an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth.Language is the tool of my trade. And I use them all—all the Englishes I grew up with.
Born into a Chinese family that had recently arrived in California, I’ve been giving more thought to the kind of English my mother speaks. Like others, I have described it to people as “broken” English. But I feel embarrassed to say that. It has always bothered me that I can think of no way to describe it other than“broken”, as if it were damaged and needed to be fixed, as if it lacked a certain wholeness. I’ve heard other terms used, “limited English,” for example. But they seem just as bad, as if everything is limited, including people’s perceptions(认识)of the limited English speaker.
I know this for a fact, because when I was growing up, my mother’s “limited” English limited my perception of her. I was ashamed of her English. I believed that her English reflected the quality of what she had to say. That is, because she expressed them imperfectly her thoughts were imperfect. And I had plenty of evidence to support me: the fact that people in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.
I started writing fiction in 1985. And for reasons I won’t get into today, I began to write stories using all the Englishes I grew up with: the English she used with me, which for lack of a better term might be described as “broken” ; and what I imagine to be her translation of her Chinese, her internal (内在的) language, and for that I sought to preserve the essence, but neither an English nor a Chinese structure. I wanted to catch what language ability tests can never show: her intention, her feelings, the rhythms of her speech and the nature of her thoughts.
The author used to think of her mother’s English as .
| A．impolite | B．amusing |
| C．imperfect | D．practical |
Which of the following is TRUE according to Paragraph 3?
| A．Americans do not understand broken English. |
| B．The author’s mother was not respected sometimes. |
| C．The author’s mother had positive influence on her. |
| D．Broken English always reflects imperfect thoughts. |
The author gradually realizes her mother’s English is .
| A．well structured |
| B．in the old style |
| C．easy to translate |
| D．rich in meaning |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．The change of the author’s attitude to her mother’s English. |
| B．The limitation of the author’s perception of her mother. |
| C．The author’s misunderstanding of “limited” English. |
| D．The author’s experiences of using broken English. |
Most dog owners feel that their dogs are their best friends. Almost everyone likes dogs because they try hard to please their owners. One of my favorite stories is about a dog who wanted his owner to please him.
One of my friends has a large German shepherd ( 牧羊狗) named Jack. Every Sunday afternoon, my friend takes Jack for a walk in the park. Jack likes these long walks very much. One Sunday afternoon, a young man came to visit my friend. He stayed a long time, and he talked and talked.
Soon it was time for my friend to take Jack for his walk, but the visitor didn’t leave. Jack became very worried about his walk in the park. He walked around the room several times and then sat down directly in front of the visitor and looked at him. But the visitor paid no attention. He continued talking. Finally, Jack couldn’t stand it any longer. He went out of the room and came back a few minutes later. He sat down again in front of the visitor, but this time he held the man’s hat in his mouth.
German shepherds aren’t the only intelligent dogs. Another intelligent dog is a Seeing Eye dog. This is a special dog which helps blind people walk along the streets and do many other things. We call these dogs Seeing Eye dogs because they are the “eye” of the blind people and they help them to “see”. Seeing Eye dogs generally go to special schools for several years to learn to help blind people.The writer tells the story about the dog Jack to show that____.
| A．it, like many other dogs, always tried to please its owner master |
| B．it, unlike many other dogs, always wanted its master to please it |
| C．it was more intelligent than many other dogs |
| D．it was the most faithful dog of his friend’s |
Jack came to sit in front of the visitor in order to____.
| A．please him | B．be pleased |
| C．ask him to leave immediately | D．invite him for a walk |
The sentence “Finally, Jack couldn’t stand it any longer.” means___.
| A．Jack could no longer put up with the visitor |
| B．Jack could no longer stand but he might sit down |
| C．Jack was very tired and wanted a rest |
| D．Jack was very angry with the visitor |
Which of the following titles would be the best for the passage?
| A．Dogs─A Great Help to People |
| B．Dogs ─ Our Faithful Companions |
| C．An Introduction to Dogs |
| D．Famous Dogs in Germany |
请认真阅读下列短文, 并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意：每个空格只填一个单词。
The word science is heard so often in modern times that almost everybody has an idea of its meaning. However, its definition is difficult for many people. The meaning of the term is confusing, but everyone should understand its meaning and objectives (目标). Just to make the explanation as simple as possible, suppose science is defined as classified knowledge or facts.
Even in the true science, distinguishing fact from fiction is not always easy. For this reason great care should be taken to distinguish between beliefs and truths. There is no danger as long as a clear difference is made between temporary and proved explanations. For example, hypotheses(假设) and theories are attempts to explain natural phenomena. From these positions the scientist continues to experiment and observe until they are proved or discredited. The exact status of any explanation should be clearly labeled to avoid confusion.
The objectives of science are primarily the discovery and later the understanding of the unknown. Man cannot be satisfied with recognizing that secrets exist in nature of that questions are unanswerable; he must solve them. Toward that end, specialists in the field of biology and related fields of interest are directing much of their time and energy.
Actually, two basic approaches lead to the discovery of new information. One, aimed at satisfying curiosity, is referred to as pure science. Sometimes practical-minded people miss the point of pure science in thinking only of its immediate application for economic rewards. However, one should remember that the construction of the microscope had to come before the discovery of the cell. The host of scientists devoting their lives to pure science are not apologetic about ignoring the practical side of their discoveries; they know from experience that most knowledge is eventually applied.
The other is aimed at using knowledge for specific purposes--for instance, improving health, raising standards of living, or creating new consumer products. In this case, knowledge is put to economic use. Such an approach is referred to as applied science.
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Science is |
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Pure science |
Scientists, who may be blamed for |
| Knowledge is put to economic |
When you are curious（好奇的）about something， and want to know more about it， you can use the way of asking questions. Asking questions is the first step to make discoveries and find interesting answers. The steps below can guide you during the research（研究）.
Step 1
On a note card or piece of paper, write down the subject that you are interested in. Just get the main idea down. For example, you might write：
Discover more about dinosaurs.
Step 2
Next， stop and think for a moment about what you already know about your subject. List what you already know like the sentences below：
（1）Dinosaurs lived long before human beings appeared.
（2）Dinosaurs lived on the earth for more than 150 million years.
（3）Some dinosaurs fed on plants， some on meat.
Step 3
What can you do with what you want to learn？ By asking questions. On your paper，start writing down questions about the dinosaurs as you think of them：
（1）What‘s the best weather for dinosaurs to live in？
（2）How many kinds of dinosaurs are there？
（3）Have dinosaurs really disappeared？
Step 4
Armed with your list of questions， you can now go to the nearest library or computer to begin your research. As you learn more about your subject， you‘ll probably discover some new questions. For example， you might discover that dinosaurs disappeared about 65 million years ago. Why？ What happened？ Asking new questions can help you research your subject more widely. The next time you find something interesting to research， take time to organize（组织）your thinking by asking good questions. And remember — learning more always bring more questions.When you do some research，you should take the following steps： _____.
①list what you want to know ②choose a research subject
③list what you already know ④discover new problems
| A．①④③② | B．②③①④ | C．③②④① | D．④③①② |
What does the underlined sentence “Armed with your list of questions” mean？
| A．Putting your list of questions under your arm. |
| B．Discussing your questions with your classmates. |
| C．Writing down your list of questions. |
| D．Taking your list of questions with you. |
According to the passage, which of the following is true？
| A．You can find all the answers online. |
| B．Learn more，and you’ll have no questions. |
| C．During the research，you may keep finding new questions. |
| D．Asking questions is the only way for research. |
The best title for this passage is _____.
| A．Discovering Dinosaurs |
| B．Asking Good Questions |
| C．Finding Subjects |
| D．Having Interesting Answers |
Once upon a time，two brothers who lived on neighboring farms fell into conflict(冲突)．It was the first serious one between them in 40 years of farming peacefully side by side. In the end，they fell apart.
One morning，a man with a carpenter's toolbox came for some work. The elder brother said，“I just have a job for you. Look at that farm across the creek(河沟)．My younger brother lives there. It was he who used his bulldozer(推土机)to dig the creek last week to spite(刁难)me. So I want you to build me a fence，an 8foothigh fence，in order not to see his place any more.”The carpenter smiled and said，“I see. I'll try to do a job that satisfies you.”Then the elder brother went downtown.
At sunset when the farmer returned，the carpenter had just finished his job. The farmer's eyes opened wide! To his surprise，there was no fence there at all！Instead, there was a bridge stretching from one side of the creek to the other! A fine piece of work! He saw his younger brother coming to him with the hands outstretching. The brothers stood at each end of the bridge，and then they met in the middle，taking each other's hands. They turned to see the carpenter lift his toolbox on his shoulder. “No，wait! Stay a few days. I've a lot of other work for you，” said the elder brother.“I'd love to stay on，”the carpenter said，“but I have so many more bridges to build.”What was the life like for the two brothers before the conflict?
| A．They lived a poor life. |
| B．They lived in peace. |
| C．They never spoke to each other. |
| D．They lived on the same farm. |
It can be learned that the carpenter was __________.
| A．unwilling to obey the farmer. |
| B．fond of building bridges. |
| C．unable to build a fence |
| D．willing to help others. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The elder brother used his bulldozer to dig a creek. |
| B．The elder brother helped the carpenter build the bridge. |
| C．The brothers were both satisfied with the carpenter's work. |
| D．The carpenter planned to build an 8foothigh fence as asked to. |
The best title for this passage is ________.
| A．A Fine Piece of Work |
| B．A Carpenter |
| C．A Conflict Between Two Brothers |
| D．Two Brothers |
We don’t know how different our life will be in the future. We can only try to imagine it. 
At first we think about human relationship. In the year 2050, we will use computers almost every day. We will make new friends through the Internet—even our husbands or wives will be met in this way. It will be much faster and easier for us. On the other hand, our relationships with people won’t be as important as they are today-we will feel a little lonely.
Computers will also help us in many other activities in 2050. For example, they will be used by the children at school to make their learning easier. In addition, there will be much more other machines which will play a similar role as computers, like robots which will do the housework for us.
Spending holidays will also be completely different. Traveling to other planets or to the moon will be available for everyone. Means of transport will, of course, change, too. We will use solar-powered cars, which will be much more environmentally friendly.
We could expect that the faster technological progress would lead to a more polluted environment. But it isn’t true. We will pay more attention to protecting the environment. And, scientists will probably find cures for many dangerous diseases, like cancer or AIDS. Therefore, our surroundings as well as health will be in better condition.
Although we can’t predict the exact changes which will be made in the world, we often think about them. We worry about our and our children’s future; we have expectations, hopes as well as fears. But I think we should be rather sanguine about our future. We should be happy and believe good things will happen. Why will people probably feel a little lonely in 2050?
| A．Because the number of people will become much smaller. |
| B．Because there will be less face-to-face communication. |
| C．Because people won’t like making friends with each other. |
| D．Because people won’t communicate with each other much often. |
The third paragraph mainly tells us ________.
| A．computers will do all the things for human beings |
| B．how people will use computers to communicate with each other |
| C．machines like computers and robots will help people a lot |
| D．how people will use robots to do the housework |
According to the passage, which of the following will happen in 2050?
| A．The relationship between people will be more important than that of today. |
| B．The way of spending holidays will be the same as that of today. |
| C．It won’t be difficult for people to travel to other planets. |
| D．Our environment will be much more polluted with a growing number of cars. |
What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．How people will communicate in the year 2050. |
| B．What our life will be like in the year 2050. |
| C．How people will travel and spend their holidays in the year 2050. |
| D．What high technology will appear in the year 2050. |
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