“Long time no see” is a very interesting sentence . When I first read this sentence from an American friend’s email, I laughed . I thought it was a perfect example of Chinglish .
Obviously , it is a word-by-world literal translation of the Chinese greetings with a ruled English grammar and structure ! Later on, my friend told me that it is a standard American greeting , I was too thrilled to believe her . Her words could not convince me at all . So I did a research on google .com . To my surprise , there are over 60 thousand web pages containing “ Long time no see.” This sentence has been widely used in emails , letters , newspapers, movies , books , or any other possible place . Though it is sort of informal, it is part of the language that Americans use daily . Ironically , if you type this phrase in Microsoft Word , the soft-ware will tell you that the grammar needs to be corrected .
Nobody knows the origin of this Chinglish sentence . Some people believe that it came from Charlie Chan’s movies . In the 1930s, Hollywood moviemakers successfully created a world-wide famous Chinese detective named “Charlie Chan” on wide screens . Detective Chan likes to teach Americans some Chinese wisdom by quoting Confucius . “Long time no see” was his trademark . Soon after Charlie Chan , “Long time no see” became a popular phrase in the real world with thanks to the popularity of these movies .
Some scholars refer America as a huge pot of stew (染缸). All kinds of culture are mixed in the stew together , and they change the color and taste of each other . American Chinese , though a minority ethnic group in the United States , is also contributing some changes to the stew !Language is usually the first thing to be influenced in the mixed stew .
You can have some other examples than adoptions from Chinese , such as pizza from Italian , susi from Japanese , and déjá vu from French etc . There is a long list ! Americans do not just simply borrow something from others . They will modify it and make it their own , so you would not be surprised to find a tofu and peanut butter hamburger in a restaurant , or to buy a bottle of iced Chinese green tea with honey in a grocery store . Since Americans appreciate Chinese culture more and more nowadays , I believe more Chinese words will become American English in the future . In this way the American stew keeps adding richness and flavor .
1．The writer himself felt surprised at .
A．reading “Long time no see”
B．knowing the expression is standard American English
C．seeing the literal translation of the expression
D．finding out Americans use the expression every day
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2．According to the passage , it can be inferred that .
A．Charlie Chan made the phrase “Long time no see”Astronauts on shorter shuttle missions (使命) often work very long days. Tasks are scheduled so tightly that break times are often used to finish the tightly that break times are often used to finish the day’s work. This type of scheduled is far too demanding for long missions on the International Space Station (ISS). ISS crewmembers usually live in space for at least a quarter of a year. They work five days on and two days off to mimic the normal way they do things on Earth as much as possible. Weekends give the crew valuable time to rest and do a few hours of housework. They can communicate with family and friends by email, internet phone and through private video conferences.
While astronauts cannot go to a baseball game or a movie in orbit, there are many familiar activities that they can still enjoy. Before a mission, the family and friends of each ISS crewmember put together a collection of family photos, messages, videos and reading material for the astronauts to look at when they will be floating 370 kilometers above the Earth.
During their mission, the crew also receives care packages with CDs, books, magazines, photos and letters. And as from early 2010, the internet became available on the ISS, giving astronauts the chance to do some “web surfing(冲浪)”in their personal time. Besides relaxing with these more common entertainments, astronauts can simply enjoy the experience of living in space.
Many astronauts say that one of the most relaxing things to do in space is to look out the window and stare at the universe and the Earth. Both the shuttle and the ISS circle the planet several times each day, and every moment offers a new view of the Earth’s vast land mass and oceans.What does the word “mimic” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
| A．Find |
| B．Copy |
| C．Change |
| D．Lose |
Which of the following best describes the families of the astronauts on the ISS?
| A．They are caring and thoughtful. |
| B．They are worried and annoyed. |
| C．They are impatient and annoyed. |
| D．They are excited and curious. |
In the final paragraph, the author shows that astronauts______.
| A．get more pleasure in space than on the Earth. |
| B．finding living in space a bit boring and tiring |
| C．regard space life as common |
| D．love to see the Earth from space |
The passage mainly discusses how astronauts_______.
| A．work for longer missions in space |
| B．connect with people on the Earth |
| C．observe with Earth from space |
| D．spend their free time in space |
Some schools in the United States offer Chinese language classes with government support from China.
Saint Mary’s School is a private college preparatory school in Medford, Oregon. Carly Irvine is in her fourth year of learning Mandarin. Carly Irvine said, “Since China and America are working so closely and our relationship is growing more and more, I think it will be very important in the future to know Chinese.”
Saint Mary’s School also teach Spanish, German and Latin. It added Mandarin in 2005. Two years ago, it became the first school in the country to join the Confucius Classroom Program. China’s Education Ministry also provides books and other material.
Saint Mary’s school principle, Frank Phillips, says knowing Chinese will help students in a world where China is quickly gaining economic power.
Zheng Ling, a teacher at Saing Mary’s school, came from China in 2008. She said, “People do not know much about China, especially the latest development. So I think this is a chance for them to know more about China, what China is really like. It’s quiet different from what ot was twenty years ago.”
The Confucius Classroom Program is in about forty countries, including more than fifty American schools and universities.
A recent report said more schools in the United States are teaching Chinese and Arabic, although the numbers are still low.What does Carly Irvine think of learning Chinese?
| A．Helpful |
| B．Useless |
| C．Unnecessary |
| D．Terrible |
Which of the following is TRUE about Saint Mary’s school?
| A．It is a public college preparatory school. |
| B．It added Mandarin in 2006. |
| C．It’s the first American school to join the Confucius Classroom Program. |
| D．It also teaches Spanish, Germanand French to its students. |
How many American schools and universities have the Confucius Classroom Project?
| A．About 40. |
| B．42. |
| C．50. |
| D．More than 50. |
According to the passage, we can learn that Zheng ling ______.
| A．Doesn’t know a lot about China and latest development. |
| B．Has been a teacher at Saint Mary’s School for several years. |
| C．Is principle of Saint Mary’s School. |
| D．Thinks Saint Mary’s School is quiet different now. |
What’s the passage mainly about?
| A．Some US students learn Mandarin with China’s help. |
| B．China is quickly gaining economic power. |
| C．Saint Mary’s School. |
| D．Carly Irvine. |
When you want to buy or rent a house, you are expecting not only the quality of the house itself but also the nice neighbours who live near you. Almost everyone agrees that it is helpful to live with some good neighbours. However, the standard of good neighbours is different from people to people. In my opinion, a good neighbour should be someone that respects your life. Is ready to help others and concerns zbout the environment in the neighbourhood.
First of all, it is very important for neighbours to expect your life. Just imagine, if you have a neighbour who is curious about you, especially your personal life, and tries to know more about it by whatever means. How will you feel? What is more, he or she may talk with others about your life. Do you want to live near him or her any more? The answer is definitely negative. You will feel very uncomfortable to have such kind of people in your neighbourhood and you may move as soon as possible.
Next, what you should consider is that a good neighbour is always willing to give you a hand when you need help. For example, if you are not at home and someone suspect tries to unlock your door, your neighbour who sees it should call 110, and it will help you to protect your property.
Finally, a good neighbour should be concerned about the environment, especially around your neighbourhood. He or she should throw all the rubbish into the garbage and keep the place clean, because a good environment can make people who live in it comfortable and relaxed all the time.
Therefore, it is very important for a neighbour to have such qualities as above.What is mainly discussed in the passage?
| A．How to find a good neighbour. |
| B．The advantage of living with rich neighbours. |
| C．Neighbours should help each other. |
| D．Qualities a good neighbour should have. |
According to the passage, a good neighbour may do the following except______.
| A．show special interest in your personal life |
| B．help you when you in trouble |
| C．keep the environment clean |
| D．all the police when strangers unlock your door |
If a neighnour always wants to know about your personal life, you may ______.
| A．tell him your story as soon as possible |
| B．think he is a good neighbour |
| C．feel rather proud and pleased about it |
| D．decide to find another place to live |
The underlined words “someone suspect” in the third paragraph refers to ______.
| A．friendly person |
| B．A doubtful stranger |
| C．A shy friend |
| D．And old classmate |
We can learn from this passage that ______.
| A．Good neighbours are very hard to find |
| B．Good neighbours should concern about your personal life |
| C．Finding a good neighbour is very important |
| D．You should never live with stranger |
Michael Fish may soon be replaced as a weather forecaster by something truly fishier — shark.
Research by a Britain biology student suggests that sharks could be used to predict storms.
Lauren Smith,24,is close to completing her study on shark’s ability to sense pressure.
If her studies prove the theory, scientists may be able to monitor the behavior of sharks to predict bad weather
Miss Smith had previously studied the behavior of lemon sharks.
She then used their close relatives, lesser spotted dogfish, for further research.
Her work—thought to be the first of its kind to test pressure theory—resulted from observation that juvenile sharks off Florida moved into deeper water ahead of a violent storm in 2001.
Miss Smith said, “I’ve always been crazy about travelling and diving and this led me to an interest in sharks.”
“I was delighted to gave been able to reach in the area for my degree. I know there’s so much more we need to understand—but it certainly opens the way to more research.” It has been discovered that a shark senses pressure using hair cells in its balanced system.
She is due to complete her study and graduate later this year. She says she will be looking for a job which will give her the chance to enrich her experience of shark research.The passage is most probably taken from______?
| A．A short-story collection |
| B．A popular science magazine |
| C．A research paper |
| D．A personal diary |
What do we learn from the first four paragraphs of the passage?
| A．Sharks may be used to predict bad weather |
| B．Shark’s behavior can be controlled |
| C．Michael Fish is not qualified for his job |
| D．Lauren Smith will become a weather forecaster |
Lauren Smith conducted her research by ______.
| A．Removing hair cells from a shark’s balance system |
| B．Measuring the air pressure of weather fronts |
| C．Recording shark’s body temperature |
| D．Monitoring shark’s reaction to weather changes |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．A popular way of forecasting weather |
| B．A new research effort in predicting storms |
| C．Biologist’ interest in the secrets of sharks. |
| D．Lauren Smith’s devotion to scientific research |
Almost Human
Scientists are racing to build the world’s first thinking robot. This is not science fiction: some say they will have made it by the year2020. Carol Parker reports.
Machines that walk, speak and feel are no longer science fiction. Kismet is the name of an android which scientists have built at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Kismet is different from the traditional robot because it can show human emotions. Its eyes, ears and lips move to show when it feels happy, sad and bored. Kismet is one of the first of a new generation of androids—robots that look like huamn beings—which can imitate human feelings. Cog, another android invented by the MIT, imitates the action of a mother. However, scientists admit that so far Cog has the mental ability of a two-year-old.
The optimists say that by the year 2020 we will have created humanoids with brains similar to those of an adult human beings. these robots will be designed to look like people to make them more attractive and easier to sell to the public. What kind of jobs will they do? In the future, robots like Robonaut, a humanoid invented by NASA, will be doing dangerous jobs, like repairing space stations. They will also be doing more and more of the household work for us. In Japan, scientist are designing androids that will entertain us by dancing and playing the piano.
Some people worry about that future holds: will robots become monsters? Will people themselves become increasingly like robots? Experts predict that more and more people will be wearing micro-computer, connected to the internet, in the future. Proplr will have micro-chips in various parts of their body, which will connect them to a wide variety of gadgets. Perhaps we should not exaggerate the importance of technology, but one wonders whether, in years to come, we will still be falling in love, and whether we will feel pain. Who knows?Kismet is different from traditional robots because ______?
| A．it thinks for itself |
| B．it is not like science fiction |
| C．it can look after a two-year-old |
| D．it seems to have human feelings |
What makes Cog special?
| A．it looks like a mother |
| B．it behaves like child |
| C．it can imitate the behavior of a mother |
| D．it has a huge brain |
In about 10 years’ time from now, robots ______.
| A．will become space designers |
| B．will look like monsters |
| C．will behave like animals |
| D．will think like humans |
In the future robots will also______.
| A．explore space |
| B．entertain people |
| C．move much faster |
| D．do all the housework |
What is the writer’s attitude to robots in the future?
| A．Critical |
| B．Hostile |
| C．Objective |
| D．Enthusiastic |