A story from the Bible tells of old Babylon, where the men decided to build a tower that would touch the sky. But God was unhappy, and he made them speak different languages. They couldn’t understand each other, so their dream never came true.
Yet the dream remains alive: if all men speak the same language, they can do anything. L. L. Zamenhof from Poland was among the men who pursue this dream. He developed Esperanto（世界语）between 1877 and 1885.
As the most successful man-made world language, it is spoken by over two million people around the world. Last month, the World Esperanto Congress（大会）, dealing with language rights, ended in Sweden. Most Esperanto speakers are in Central and Eastern Europe and in East Asia, particularly Chinese mainland.
Esperanto has two advantages. First, it’s easy. Each letter has exactly one sound and there are just 16 basic grammar rules. The second advantage is that it belongs to no one country. But Esperanto has only reached a small number of people compared with natural languages widely used around the world---such as English or Chinese. While these languages are deeply connected with their nations and cultures, Esperanto doesn’t have this background.
Will Esperanto really become a global language? It remains a question.
72. The writer tells us a story at the beginning to___________.
A.explain why men have been making the effort to create a language shared by all
B.explain why men now speak different languages
C.show the relationship between man and God
D.prove that language is very important
73. Wha
t does the underlined word “pursue” in the second paragraph mean?
A.“realize”. B. “work for”. C.“be against”. D. “follow”.
74. What is the basic difference between Esperanto and other natural languages?
A.More people speak English than Esperanto.
B.Esperanto words are easier to spell.
C.Esperanto has fewer grammar rules.
D.Esperanto is not supported by any country or culture.
75. What does the story mainly talk about?
A.Advantages and disadvantages of Esperanto.
B.Man’s dream of sharing the same language has come true.
C.The most successfully planned language---Esperanto.
D.Comparison of Esperanto and other languages like English and Chinese.
On Christmas morning, I went to the Cockhedge Mall. People there were all busy buying their last minute requirements. I needed to buy a birthday card for my son-in-law whose birthday is the 29th of December. Picking up a few more things as well as my card I went to join the line for the express checkout which was for people who only had a few items in a basket and not a trolley （小推车） load. This line was next to the Customer Service desk.
Seemingly waiting quite a long time, I was jogged out of my thoughts by a voice behind me making comments on the things I bought.
It was so funny when I realized that she was describing the contents of my basket. The owner of the voice was a very pretty young lady. I said to her that I was going to buy a box of Christmas cookies but the only ones left were not to my liking. The lady told me that just opposite Cockhedge in Superdrug they had lots of cookies. I said, “I’m not going to do it now . I had enough of shops and I’m going home. ”
The assistant from the Customer Service came across at this time saying “If there is anyone in the line with a few items in their basket, none of which needed to be weighed, I will check out what they buy at the desk.” Because I had the things which needed to be weighed, the young lady accepted the offer and walked away waving goodbye.
At last my turn came at the checkout. I was walking away when I met my new friend once again who handed me a beautiful box of Christmas cookies. With a big hug she said “Hope you have a lovely Christmas.” She had been into Superdrug to buy me the cookies while I was still queuing in Cockhedge.
What a generosity to a stranger! I was so surprised you could have knocked me down with a feather. My Good Samaritan would never know what a joyful Christmas day I had with my family. Telling them this story, as we ate around the table, kept everyone spellbound.The underlined word “spellbound” in the last paragraph probably means _______ .
| A．interested | B．disappointed |
| C．astonished | D．frightened |
Which of the following could be the best title of the story?
| A．A Piece of Lucky Feather |
| B．A Surprise Christmas Gift |
| C．The Boring Shopping Experience |
| D．The Unforgettable Big Hug |
How does the writer feel about the pretty young lady?
| A．Worried. | B．Satisfied. |
| C．Grateful. | D．Proud. |
What can we learn from the story?
| A．Nobody is sure what will happen the next moment. |
| B．A simple action can bring other people happiness. |
| C．Being patient will decrease the waiting time. |
| D．Life without hope and faith is a dull thing. |
Joker found one of the biggest diamonds in the world in his own backyard. He sold the stone to a diamond dealer for over three hundred thousand dollars. In New York, the diamond was resold，this time for almost eight hundred thousand dollars. The true value of a diamond is never known until it has been cut. Once cut successfully, its value can increase a thousand times. It’s easy to understand why the owner of the Joker diamond went to the best diamond cutter he knew, Kaplan. The cutter studied the diamond for twelve whole months.
When he felt he was ready to start work, he discovered a flaw （瑕疵）. He had to begin with his calculations all over again, or he might have made the stone useless. Six more months passed, and Kaplan finally said to the owner, “I am ready to start my work. There will be one excellent diamond that will be comparable to any in the world, plus eleven small diamonds of first-class quality. ” Kaplan waited a few more days until he felt he was in the best physical and mental （精神的） condition possible. He picked up his tools and held his breath as he made the first blow. The diamond split （切开） exactly as he promised.A diamond dealer is a person ______,
| A．in the diamond business | B．who stores diamonds |
| C．who cuts diamonds | D．who sells diamonds |
The owner of the Joker diamond thought that if the diamond was cut successfully, it might be worth ________.
| A．$300, 000 | B．$500, 000 |
| C．$300, 000, 000 | D．$800, 000, 000 |
Kaplan studied the diamond for ________.
| A．one year | B．more than half a year |
| C．over eighteen months | D．more than two years |
JOB WANTED
I’m Black, a 25 young man living in Shanghai and looking for a job in a variety of fields, web designer, teaching Spanish or English or working as a waiter or bar tender. I have a friendly and hard-working personality. If you have any job that you think I could do, please do not hesitate about contacting me. Backer1896@126. com
JOB OFFERED
EL house is a well-known English learning center for primary and high school students. We are looking for native English teachers who can teach the following subject(s) to our students who are planning to study abroad. The incumbent should meet the following requirements：
—Experienced in exam preparations （TOEFL, IELTS, SAT）
—Degree holder
—Experienced in teaching either mathematics, physics or business
—Excellent command of English in both oral and written
—Experienced in teaching higher academic level English
—Native English teachers or Bilingual teachers with native command of English JGHTR@gmail. com
SHARE
I’m Margaret, looking for a person with a positive outlook on life to share the bedroom in a wonderfully-located luxury apartment. That’s near everything and has everything, hard-wood floors, international TV, washer/dryer. Other two rooms already occupied by a French and a Kiwi woman, both professional.
Please contact me. MLCT@sina. com
FOR RENT
CNY 12, 000 / lovely apartment near West Nanjing Road
Layout：3 bedrooms，2 bathrooms
Size：120 sqm
Monthly rental：RMB 12, 000
Compound：First Block
Facilities：gym, tennis court, indoor swimming pool，children’s playground
LYG2560@sohu. comMargaret is now looking for _________.
| A．her lost cat | B．an apartment |
| C．a job | D．a roommate |
. Which of the following is NOT the requirement of EL house?
| A．Experienced in exam preparations. |
| B．Experienced in teaching Chinese. |
| C．Excellent command of English. |
| D．Degree holder. |
To look for a person to work in your restaurant，you can contact ________.
| A．LYG2560@sohu. com | B．MLCT@sina. com |
| C．Backer1896@126. com | D．JGHTR@gmail. com |
What does the underlined word “incumbent” mean?
| A．Businessman. | B．Student. |
| C．Employee. | D．Employer. |
A nine-year-old kid was sitting at his desk when suddenly there was a puddle (some water or liquid) between his feet and the front of his trousers was wet. He thought his heart was going to stop because he couldn’t possibly imagine how this had happened. It had never happened before, and he knew that when the boys found out he would never hear the end of it. When the girls found out, they would never speak to him again as long as he lived.
He prayed this prayer, “Dear God, I need help now! Five minutes from now I’m dead meat! ” He looked up from his prayer and here came the teacher with a look in her eyes that said he had been discovered. As the teacher was walking toward him, a classmate named Susie was carrying a goldfish bowl full of water. Susie tripped （绊倒） in front of the teacher and dumped （倒） the bowl of water in the boy’s lap. The boy pretended to be angry, but all the while he was saying to himself, “Thank you. God! ”
Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy was the object of sympathy（同情）. The teacher rushed him downstairs and gave him gym shorts to put on while his trousers dried out. All the other children were on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk. The sympathy was wonderful. But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his had been transferred （转移） to someone else—Susie. She tried to help, but they told her to get out.
When school was over, the boy walked over to Susie and whispered, “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” Susie whispered back, “I wet my trousers once, too!”The underlined sentence in Paragraph 1 means ________.
| A．the boys would never play with him |
| B．the boys would treat him as usual |
| C．he would hardly hear any praise from the boys |
| D．he would be laughed at by the boys endlessly |
After Susie dumped water in his lap, the boy was in a state of _________.
| A．excitement | B．relief | C．anxiety | D．anger |
What did the other kids do after the incident?
| A．They offered him dry clothes. |
| B．They laughed at the boy rudely. |
| C．They helped the boy do the cleaning. |
| D．They urged the boy to get out angrily. |
Why did Susie dump water in the boy’s lap?
| A．The boy asked her to do so. |
| B．She just did it by accident. |
| C．The teacher tripped her on purpose. |
| D．She knew the boy’s embarrassment. |
The Healthy Habits Survey（调查）shows that only about one third of American seniors have correct habits. Here are some findings and expert advice.
1. How many times did you brush your teeth yesterday?
·Finding：A full 33% of seniors brush their teeth only once a day.
·Step：Remove the 300 types of bacteria in your mouth each morning with a battery-operated toothbrush. Brush gently for 2 minutes, at least twice a day.
2.How many times did you wash your hands or bathe yesterday?
·Finding：Seniors, on average, bathe fewer than 3 days a week. And nearly 30%wash their hands only 4 times a day—half of the number doctors recommend.
·Step：We touch our faces around 3,000 times a day—often inviting germs（病菌）to enter our mouth, nose, and eyes. Use toilet paper to avoid touching the door handle. And, most important, wash your hands often with hot running water and soap for 20 seconds.
3. How often do you think about fighting germs?
·Finding：Seniors are not fighting germs as well as they should.
·Step：Be aware of germs. Do you know it is not your toilet but your kitchen sponge（海绵）that can carry more germs than anything else? To kill these germs, keep your sponge in the microwave for 10 seconds.What is found out American seniors?
| A．About one third of them brush their teeth only once a day. |
| B．Nearly 30%of them bathe three days a week . |
| C．All of them are fighting germs better than expected . |
| D．Most of them have good habits. |
Doctors suggest that people should wash their hands.
| A．twice a day | B．three times a day |
| C．eight times a day | D．four times a day |
Which of the following is true according to the text ?
| A．We should keep from touching our faces . |
| B．A kitchen sponge can carry more germs than a toilet. |
| C．There are less than 300 types of bacteria in the mouth . |
| D．We should wash our hands before touching a door handle . |