Q:
I’d like to know about fluency.What can I do to feel better when I’m talking to other people? Do you have some ways to learn it faster? Please help me! —Roberto in Brazil
A:
Roberto wants to know how to become more fluent in English, and this is something you want to be able to do “fast”.
First, if you get to meet English speakers much, the important rule is to listen not just to native speakers of English, but also to very good users of English.If you don’t, then listen to the radio, TV or films in English.
The next step is to notice what it is that speakers of English do, which makes them sound fluent.The first trick(诀窍) is to probably have confidence.Some people think they might make mistakes.Don’t worry about that.Your listeners will usually try hard to understand you — a few grammar mistakes aren’t going to worry them.
What you do need to worry about is pronunciation, especially stress(重音).When you learn a new word or expression, learn it with its stress.Notice how a native speaker says it or look it up in a dictionary.
Another good thing that speakers of English do is to have a few tricks up their sleeves(袖子) for when they need to give themselves thinking time.Sometimes they use “filler sounds” like er, um and so on.
It is also useful to know how to bring other speakers into your conversation so that you keep them interested - and this is often done by asking questions like “What do you think?” “How do you feel about this?” and so on.
So, to become a fluent speaker, you’ll need to put into practice all these kinds of things.And there’s the key: practise, practise, practise. -Susan Fearn
56.Susan first encourages English learners to .
A.meet English speakers B.listen to very good speakers
C.talk to English speakers D.buy a radio or a TV set
57.When mentioning pronunciation, Susan pays special attention to .
A.stress B.expressions C.dictionaries D.words
58.What do the underlined words “to have a few tricks up their sleeves” probably mean?
A.To wear a lot of clothes.
B.To have a secret plan or idea.
C.To hide some tricks into their sleeves.
D.To have sleeves covering their whole arms.
59.What do we know from the passage?
A.One can only learn stress from dictionaries.
B.Grammar mistakes worry one’s listeners a lot.
C.Asking questions can make one’s conversation attractive.
D.One can become fluent if one practises one of the suggestions.
Jungle country is not friendly to man, but it is possible to survive there. You must have the right equipment and you must know a few important things about woodcraft. Then your chances of staying alive are very good.
No one should go into the jungle without the right equipment. You need light weight clothing, a good knife, and a compass. Fishhooks and a line, a rifle, matches in a waterproof container and a poncho are necessary too. So is a mosquito net to protect the head.
In the jungle you can get hopeless lost within five minutes after leaving a known landmark. That is why you should always carry a compass. In open country, during the day, you can tell which way o go by studying the sun. At night the stars are sure guides o direction. But in most places the jungle rooftop is so thick that it is impossible to see the sun or the stars. Again and again you must check your position by the compass.
Keep alert. Watch the ground in front of you carefully. Stop and listen now and again. Avoid haste, and rest often. In a place that is hot and humid, the person who sets a fast pace will soon become tired. A steady, even pace is wisest in the long run.
If you lose your way, don’t panic. Try to desire how long it has been since you were sure of your position. Mark the spot where you are with blazes on a tree. Put them on four sides of the tree, so that you will be able to see them from any direction. Then you can begin retracing your steps, knowing that you can always find the spot from which you started. Except in an emergency, never try to travel through the jungle at night.
Whenever possible, it is wise to follow streams and rivers that are going in your general direction. This may cause you many extra miles of travel. But in the end it will save time and energy. Nothing is more exhausting than hacking a trail cross-through umbrella jungle.
If a river is broad and deep and has no rapids, rafting is the best means of travel. Bamboo grows along the banks of many jungle streams. Since it is hollow and extremely strong, it makes a perfect raft.
Surviving in the jungle is a science. The jungle people have become perfect in this science, and you can too. Learn as much as you can about what to expect in the jungle. Make sure you have the right equipment. Then no part of the jungle will be able to “live off” it for a long time. The author probably advises against traveling at night because ________.
one tends to move too slowly at night
some animals will attack you
emergencies occur most frequently at night
it is more difficult to check your position Following streams and rivers will help you to ________.
avoid animal’s attacks
save many extra miles of travel
avoid crossing unbroken stretches of jungle
have a constant source of drinking water The word “blazes” in Paragraph 5 means _________.
| A.marks where bark (树皮) is removed | B.light-colored spots |
| C.bursts of flame | D.sides of knife |
Orphans (孤儿) whose parents died of AIDS in Henan Province have been given new hope. Last week the provincial government answered the children’s cries by promising 60 million yuan to improve schools, orphanages (孤儿院) and living conditions. But without the efforts of Dr. Gao Yaojie, these cries may never have been heard.
“I’m a doctor and it’s my duty to cure diseases and save live,” said the 77-year- old grandmother. Gao was named one of the 2003 People of Year on February 20 by CCTV after millions of people took part in an online poll. But in 1996, when she started to promote AIDS awareness, using money from her own pocket, her actions were widely misunderstood.
“Although some of the children were born with HIV, 90 percent of them were not infected (被感染),” Gao said. “But people still reject them. Many orphans change their names after finding a foster family (领养家庭).”
The horror of Henan’s AIDS problem became known in 1996. Frequent and unsafe bloodselling by poor farmers in the late 1980s and early1990s had caused HIV to spread through dirty needles and infected blood use. As a doctor, Gao believed she should help: over the last eight years she has visited over 1 000 AIDS and HIV patients and published thousands of pamphlets on AIDS awareness. With her help, hundreds of orphans have returned to school or found foster families.
“It’s a disaster for the whole nation, not only for those innocent (无辜的) patients and their families,” she explained. Gao is delighted that so many childless families offer to foster orphans. But there is still much that can be done to support these children. “I hope that warm-hearted high school students will also reach out and offer a helping hand,” she said.The passage mainly talks about _______.
the dangers of AIDS
how the government help those orphans
how Gao Yaojie helped the orphans
the serious AIDS problem in Henan Gao Yaojie was named one of the 2003 People of Year because ________.
the government would not answer the children’s cry without her
she used her own money to start to promote AIDS
she is a doctor
she visited over 1 000 AIDS and HIV patients The government promised 60 million yuan _______.
to reward Gao Yaojie
to help to treat HIV and AIDS patients
to help the children whose parents died of AIDS
to build new hospitals
Have you ever thought, “I wish I could take a year off and just travel around the world”? Well, three lucky American teenagers were able to do just that. The teens—two males and one female--got an all-expenses paid, yearlong hike to five continents.
This trip didn’t include any five-star hotels or shopping funs. Eighteen-year-old Jamie Fiel from Keller, Texas, 17-year-old Arsen Ewing from Canyon, California, and 16-year-old Tyler Robinson from Lincoln, Massachusetts, didn’t expect fancy treatment. They signed up for the experience of a lifetime, which included hard work, often uncomfortable accommodations, and encounters with some of nature’s most dangerous animals and environments.
Jamie, Arsen, and Tyler were among hundreds of high school kids nominated by their science teachers to take this trip. Earthwatch Institute sponsored (赞助) this adventure. Each year, Earthwatch employs thousands of volunteers worldwide to help with scientific research projects.
The group went all around the world to get a close look at the most pressing environmental issues of our time. Their assignments were as varied as their locations, and included measuring and attending pink flamingos in Kenya’s Great Rift Valley, and tracking giant sea turtles in Costa Rica.
As they worked with the Earthwatch scientists, Jamie, Arsen, and Tyler began to understand that we are at a critical moment in the life of our planet. Time for change is running out. As the teens went from country to country and witnessed different environmental dangers and challenges, they understood that solutions to important environmental issues start with the power of one person's actions. They realized that each of them can make a difference.These teenagers went on the journey around the world _____.
| A.to experience the most serous environmental problems on the earth |
| B.to bring the kindness of America to the other parts of the world |
| C.to go on sightseeing around the world |
| D.to call on more teenagers to join Earthwatch Institute |
What’s true about their journey?
| A.They had to pay for their journey on their own expense. |
| B.They often had to move from one hotel to another. |
| C.They had to take great pains to collect environmental information. |
| D.They received a warm welcome every time they arrived at a new place. |
It can be inferred that Earthwatch Institute could be _____.
| A.an international university that takes in students from all over the world |
| B.a TV station that makes programmes on the beautiful scenery of the earth |
| C.a travel agency that organizes adventure trips specially for school children |
| D.an organization that brings science to life for people concerned about earth’s environment |
What did they these teenagers learn from the journey?
| A.It was high time that people protected the environment. |
| B.Long journey was not suitable for school children. |
| C.It should take the whole world to help the children. |
| D.Environmental problems can be solved if school children take part. |
You may have heard the term "the American Dream". In 1848, James W. Marshall found gold in California and people began having golden dreams. That 19th century "American Dream" motivated (激发起) the Gold Rush and gave California its nickname of the "Golden State".
The American Dream drove not only 1800s gold-rush prospectors but also waves of immigrants throughout that century and the next. People from Europe, and a large number of Chinese, arrived in the US in the 19th century hoping that in America they would find gold in the streets. But most, instead, worked as railroad labourers. They created the oldest Chinatown, in San Francisco, and gave the city a Chinese name "the old gold hill".
In the 20th century, some critics said that it was no longer possible to become prosperous through determination and hard work. Unfair education for students from poor families and racial discrimination almost made the American Dream a nightmare.
Then, in the 1990s, California saw a new wave of dreamers in Silicon Valley. People poured their energy into the Internet. This new chapter of the American Dream attracted many business people and young talents from China and India to form start-ups and seek fortunes in America.
Better pay, a nice house, and a rising standard of living will always be attractive. However, the new American Dream is no longer just about money. It encourages Americans to consume wisely to protect the environment, improve the quality of life, and promote social justice.
The Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, has become the model of the new American Dream. After years of hard work, he grew from a poor young man from Austria into a movie superstar and then governor. Many people hope his story can save the American Dream and give California a brighter future. It can be inferred that _____.
| A.America’s golden dream could never be realized |
| B.America’s golden dream had bought great fortunes to Chinese immigrants |
| C.each period of time has its own taste of the American dream |
| D.determination and hard work are the best way to realize the American dream |
Why did most of the early immigrants work as railroad laborers?
| A.Because they could earn more money as railroad laborers. |
| B.Because they had to make a living by working as railroad laborers. |
| C.Because they thought railroad was the first step to find gold. |
| D.Because railroad laborers were greatly honored at that time. |
The underlined sentence “his story can save the American Dream” (in the last paragraph) indicates that _____.
| A.the dream of seeking fortunate in America is easy to realize |
| B.most of the immigrants to America don’t reach their previous goal |
| C.the success of Arnold Schwarzenegger is among the common examples of the immigrants |
| D.the immigrants have made great contributions to California |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A.Wave of Immigrants to America | B.Make Fortunes Abroad |
| C.Hard Work Leads to Success | D.Changes of America’s Golden Dream |
Want to take an out-of-this-world trip? Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic plans to make that possible. Beginning in 2009, people should have the opportunity to become space tourists, traveling at about 3,000 mph to heights about 75 miles above Earth. Branson has high hopes for his latest plans. "It is just the start of what we believe will be a new age in the history of mankind—one day making the affordable exploration of space by human beings a real possibility," he said.
At the start, though, the trip won’t be cheap. Seats aboard Virgin’s first craft—VSS Enterprise—will cost about $200,000. Prices could drop after the first hundred space flights. Despite the current ticket cost, more than 30,000 people—including celebrities(名人) Sigourney Weaver and Victoria Principal—have expressed interest in getting onboard.
People who don't have an extra $200,000 still have a chance to get a seat aboard the craft. A computer game contest and a reality television show are in the works. Those who can’t afford a ticket will have an opportunity to win a seat.
Virgin is expected to be the first commercial spacecraft. It will hold six passengers and two pilots. Passengers will be able to see the Earth from many different viewpoints. The cabin will include 15 floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing for views that extend about 1,000 miles in any direction.
Passengers will have three days of preflight preparation. On the big day, the spacecraft will take off from the Mojave Spaceport in the California desert. The craft will rocket passengers into space at four times the speed of sound. The journey will last about 2 1/2 hours. Passengers will wear spacesuits and helmets(头盔). They will be able to float around the cabin and do somersaults(空翻) during the five minutes of weightlessness they will experience in zero gravity. At the end of the flight, the craft will land on a runway.Virgin Galactic could be _____.
| A.the engineer of the first commercial spacecraft |
| B.the name of a series of spacecrafts |
| C.the company of the first commercial spacecraft |
| D.a passenger aboard the first commercial spacecraft |
The space passengers will do all the following except that _____.
| A.they will receive a three-day training course |
| B.they will wear spacesuits and helmets |
| C.they will take about $200,000 with them |
| D.they will experience weightlessness |
Which statement is true according to the passage?
| A.More than 30,000 people have got to travel in spacecraft. |
| B.Many people signed up for space travel in spite of the high ticket cost. |
| C.Those without much money could also go space travel without occupying the seats. |
| D.The first commercial spacecraft will have six persons on board. |
What is the text mainly about?
| A.The exciting moment of the spacecraft’s launching. |
| B.The living condition of space tourists in the craft. |
| C.Preparations for a space travel. |
| D.Plans for the first commercial space flight. |