第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分。满分40分)
Speak, speak, speak!
Practise speaking as often as you can. Speaking to yourself is good practice.
Try recording yourself whenever you can.
Compare your pronunciation with the master version(原版)to see how you can do better and have another go. If you do this several times, you will find that each time is better than last.
Why not learn with someone else?
It helps if you can learn with someone else. If you can persuade a friend or family member to study with you, it will make you keep working.
Don't get stuck by a word you don't know.
Practise improving ways of getting your meaning across when speaking spontaneously(本能地),even if you don't know the exact words or phrases. Think of things you might want to say whenever you have spare time. Use facial expressions, hand movements, anything to make yourself understood.
Language learning is also about intuition(直觉).
Guesswork is an important way to learn a new language. When listening to recorded material, you aren't expected to understand everything first time round. If you play the same piece several times, you will most probably understand something new each time.
Build up your vocabulary.
A wide vocabulary is the key to successful language learning but don’t try to learn too much at once. It’s best to study frequently, for short periods of time. Take at most six or seven items of vocabulary and learn them. Put them into sentences to fix them in your mind, and then come back to them later.
And above all, have fun!
56. What’s the purpose of this passage?
A. To tell us the importance of practicing speaking as often as we can.
B. To tell us a few tips to help us learn a new language well.
C. To tell us that guesswork is an important way to learn a new language.
D. To tell us that a wide vocabulary is the key to successful language learning.
57. What’s the meaning of the underlined phrase in the first part?
A. Have another try or attempt. B. Move away from a place to another.
C. Enter a certain state or condition. D. Follow or take a certain course.
58. To learn English well, we shouldn’t _______ according to the passage.
A. practice speaking as often as possible
B. study frequently, for short periods of time to build up our vocabulary
C. try to understand everything and stop when we meet a new word
D. try to persuade a friend or family member to study with us
59. According to the passage, to learn a new language well, the most important thing is ______.
A. speaking as much as possible B. having fun
C. a wide vocabulary D. guesswork
Roger Alvarez, 22, was one of the 52 percent of students who didn’t make it through his senior year at Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles.
He dropped out several years ago, but by the time he was in ninth grade, Alvarez says he already knew he wasn’t going to graduate.
“There’s a certain amount of knowledge you have to have when you enter in a specific grade, and I didn’t have it.” Alvarez says,“Every class I used to go in, I was like, ‘Do I know this? I don’t know this.’”
It was a shameful attitude, he tells his former English teacher, Antero Garcia, 29.
“You were determined to help me, but what was I willing to give? I could have actually tried.”
For his part, Garcia wants to know how he could have reached out to Alvarez better, but Alvarez says Garcia had always been helpful.
“I mean, you could cheer me up, and then I see other students doing way better,” Alvarez says,“So then, I get nervous. I get stuck, and then my motivation goes to the floor.” He felt the situation was hopeless.
“You talked to me like if I could do it, but inside me, I knew I couldn’t.” he tells Garcia,“I just didn’t want you to think that I’m…stupid.”
Now, school is a life tool that Alvarez says he’s missing—but his teacher isn’t to blame.
“Always, I just wanted you to know…you were a good teacher, and I always respected you.” he tells Garcia,“Some teachers, I felt like they only wanted to teach a certain group of people. But you looked at me and you paid attention.”
“Maybe it didn’t get me to graduate, but there’re a lot of teachers, they don’t take the time to take a look. And it was never your fault.”
Alvarez now works the night shift at a loading dock(码头). He still hopes to get his degree one day.When Alvarez entered a grade, he was sure that ___________.
A.he wasn’t going to pass the class |
B.he would do better than other students |
C.he might learn an amount of knowledge |
D.he would try his best to learn at class |
By saying “my motivation goes to the floor”, Alvarez meant __________.
A.he hid his goal from others | B.he lost heart gradually |
C.he built up his motivation | D.he fell to the ground completely |
In the opinion of Alvarez, most teachers _______.
A.paid no attention to teaching | B.had no time to read books |
C.didn’t care about what he did | D.showed no respect to students |
The passage mainly tells us that _________.
A.a dropout complains about being treated badly |
B.a dropout plans to get his degree again |
C.a dropout shows respect for not graduating |
D.a dropout has thanks to his teacher not blame |
Nobody likes home economics (家政学). But restoring the program could help us in the fight against obesity and chronic (慢性的) diseases today.
The home economics movement was founded on the belief that housework and food preparation were important subjects that should be studied scientifically. The first classes occurred in the agricultural and technical colleges that were built in the 1860s. When most departments of universities rejected women, home economics was a back door into higher education.
Indeed, in the early 20th century, home economics was a serious subject When few people understood germ (微生物) theory and almost no one had heard of vitamins, home economics classes offered vital information about washing hands regularly, eating fruits and vegetables and not feeding coffee to babies.
However, today we remember only the fixed ideas about home economics, forgetting the movement’s most important lessons on healthy eating and cooking. Too many Americans simply don’t know how to cook. Our diets, consisting of highly processed foods made cheaply outside the home, have contributed to many serious health problems. In the last decade, many cities and states have tried to tax junk food heavily or to ban the use of food stamps (食品券) to buy soda. Clearly, many people are doubtful about any governmental steps to promote healthy eating. But what if the government put the tools of obesity prevention in the hands of children themselves by teaching them how to cook?
My first experience with home economics happened two decades ago when I was a seventh grader in a North Carolina public school. A year later, my father’s job took our family to Wales, where I attended a large school for a few months. It was the first time I had ever really cooked anything. I remember that it was fun, and with an instructor standing by, it wasn’t hard. Those lessons stuck with me when I first started cooking for my husband and myself after college and they still do. Teaching cooking in public schools can help solve some problems facing Americans t day. The history of home economics shows it’s possible.
Home economics______.
A.is a subject becoming more and more popular with Americans |
B.is often used to help fight against obesity and chronic diseases |
C.once offered women a. special approach to university education |
D.was first taught in the agricultural and technical colleges in the early 1900s |
The third paragraph mainly tells us______ .
A.the importance of regular hand washing |
B.the health benefits of fruits and vegetables |
C.the contents of home economics classes in the early 20th century |
D.the significance of teaching home economics in the early 20th century |
In the opinion of the author, how should we fight against childhood obesity?
A.Children should be taught how to cook. |
B.A heavy tax should be put on junk food |
C.Healthy eating should be promoted at school |
D.Using food stamps to buy soda should be banned |
What does the author imply in the last paragraph?
A. Her family moved frequently in her childhood.
R Cooking classes have a far-reaching influence on her later life.
C. To receive a better education, she went to a large school in Wales.
D. Teaching cooking is the key to solving Americans’ health problems.
Opryland Christmas
Join us in Nashville, Tennessee for a striking country Christmas that’s sure to create wonderful memories! You’ll enjoy four days of entertainment in this beautiful “Music City”.
Dates and Pricing
Nov.28---Dec.1/ Dec.3--6
Price Per Person
Traditional Room |
Room with Garden Views |
|
Double |
$1,097 |
$1,227 |
Single |
$1,285 |
$1,405 |
Itinerary (旅行日程)
Day 1 --- Gaylord Opryland Resort: Welcome to Nashville! Settle in at the Gaylord Opryland Resort, then head out to enjoy its attractions, such as acres of indoor gardens, a waterfall, a recreation of a Delta River Town, Dozens of unique shops and ten restaurants.
Welcome reception included.
Day2 --- Showboat Cruise: Today we’ll board the General Jackson Showboat for a Cumberland River cruise, which includes a pleasant lunch, holiday music and comedy show. This afternoon we take in ICE!, Nashville’s life-sized ice-sculpting exhibit. The hand-carved ice sculptures reach over 25 feet high!
Meals included: breakfast and lunch
Day3 --- Hall of Tress/ Christmas Dinner Party: Choose from a variety of on-site activities today. Look through Treasures for the Holidays --- an art and antiques show, and visit the brilliant Hall of Trees display or relax at the 20,000-sp-foot Spa & Fitness Center.
Tonight you’re in for a real teat --- a special Christmas Dinner & Show. A traditional holiday meal in the joy of the season with traditional Christmas music, dance and song.
Meals included: breakfast and dinner
Day 4 --- Farewell Brunch: Today say good-bye to your new friends with a good-bye brunch at the resort. Before you leave , finish up your Christmas shopping! 25 specialty shops are right here.
Meal included: brunch
Accommodations
Days 1---3 : Gaylord Opryland Resort, NashvilleIf a couple stay in a room with garden views, they have to pay ______.
A.$2,454 | B.$2,194 | C.$1,285 | D.$1,405 |
When can the tourists enjoy an art and antiques show?
A.On Day 1. | B.On Day 2. | C.On Day 3. | D.On Day 4. |
What do we know about the tour?
A.it is a tour of adventure. | B.If offers three meals per day. |
C.It lasts four days and four fights. | D.The accommodations won’t change. |
It’s hard not to feel cheated and over-charged when you receive unexpected roaming (漫游) charges while traveling abroad—whether they come from making phone calls or checking e-mails.
Jeff Gardner received an $ 11,000 bill from Verizon after spending four days in Jamaica. Before the trip, Mr. Gardner, who runs a fly-fishing business in Grayling, Michigan, said he called Verizon to find out what it would cost to use his cellphone for calls and his wireless card to check e-mails while in Jamaica. He said he was told that calls would be about $ 2 a minute and that there would be no extra charges for data as he was on an unlimited plan. The latter part turned out to be wrong.
“I don’t mind paying a fair amount for fair service, but $11,000 for four days is ridiculous,” said Mr. Gardner, who used his phone carefully and economically on the trip. He also tried to check and send e-mails using his wireless card, but quickly gave up after the e-mails didn’t go through. Still, his Verizon bill said more than 500,000 kilobytes (千字节) of data was delivered while he was in Jamaica, an amount Mr. Gardner said is 100 times what he normally uses in a month.
As travelers increasingly use smart phones abroad in the same way they do at home—to check e-mails, update Facebook and Twitter and pull up online maps—many are facing costly roaming fees, which providers charge when customers use their phones outside their service area. In fact, roaming charges have gotten so out of hand that the Federal Communications Commission has proposed a plan that would require wireless companies to send their customers a voice or text message when they are approaching their plan’s limit, when they have reached that limit and when they are starting to result in roaming fees.
Why did Jeff Gardner call Verizon before his trip to Jamaica?
A.To hand over his business. |
B.To check his cellphone bill |
C.To find out information about Jamaica. |
D.To find out information about roaming charges. |
What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 mean?
A.Extra charges were made for Jeff Gardner’s data delivery. |
B.Jeff Gardner’s calls were charged over $2 per minute. |
C.Jeff Gardner’s plan turned out to be limited. |
D.Jeff Gardner had difficulty delivering data abroad. |
During the trip, Jeff Gardner______.
A.was careless with phone use |
B.delivered no more data than at home |
C.received quite poor e-mail services |
D.frequently used his wireless card to send e-mails |
What should wireless companies do according to the Federal Communications Commission?
A.Make customers know when they’re outside their service area. |
B.Get customers informed when they’re near the limit of their plan. |
C.Stop serving customers when they’ve reached their plan’s limit. |
D.Limit some services to reduce the amount of roaming charges abroad. |
What’s a “gift”? If you look it up in the dictionary, you’ll see that it’s another word for a present. For example, “They brought him some gifts.” However, if you’re German, “gift” means something completely different: poison!
This word “gift” is an example of a false friend--- a word that looks the same in two languages, but which actually has two different meanings. As English is basically a mixture of German, French and Latin, there are many words that are similar in these languages. For example, the English word “education” is “education” in Spanish. And the English words “word, book, nine, house” are “Wort, Buch, Neun, Haus” in german.
These similar-looking words can be very helpful when learning other languages --- they’re our “friends”. However, sometimes they can turn out or be “false friends”. Here are a few examples.
In English, someone who is “sensible” thinks before they act and shows good judgement. For example , “The sensible thing to do would be to consult a lawyer.” However, in Spanish, “sensible ” means “sensitive” (showing understanding of other people’s problems, needs or feelings).
The English word “coin” refers to a piece of money made of metal. For example, “I had a few coins in my pocket.” But the French word “coin” means “corner”.
The English word “library” is a place where you can go to borrow books. For example, “I borrowed six books from the library.” But the Spanish word “libreria” refers to a bookshop (where you buy books).
The English word “actually” means “in fact”. For example, “Actually I’m not Italian, I’m form American.” But the Spanish word “actualmente” means “currently” or “at the moment”.
Finally, the English word “embarrassed” means “ashamed”. For example, “They looked a bit embarrassed.” However, the Spanish term “embarazada” means “pregnant” (with a child).
We can learn from the first two paragraphs that English _______.
A.is easy to master |
B.is simpler than Spanish |
C.has a complex background |
D.has changed greatly throughout history |
Which of the following pairs of words are true friends according to the author?
A.Nine and Neun. | B.Library and libreria. |
C.Actually and actualmente. | D.Embarrassed and embarazada. |
According to the text, in Spanish ______.
A.“coin” means “corner” |
B.“gift” refers to something negative |
C.“educacion” simply means “book” |
D.“sensible” doesn’t necessarily means “wise” |
The author develops the text mainly by ______.
A.following the order of space | B.comparing different ideas |
C.providing typical examples | D.analyzing the cause and effect |