Learning Chinese has been like climbing a steep(陡峭的)mountain.
My mother was born in Tokyo,while my father moved from Shanghai to Hong Kong when he was seven years old. At home we speak English. I know some basic Chinese customs :to use chosticks gracefully (得体地)and what to say on Spring Festival to get a red envelope. But I never truly learned to speak Chinese.
Why should I need to learn the language ,anyway? I live in America where everyone speaks English.
I realized I was wrong in ninth grade when I arrived at Philips Academy,a famous boarding school in Massachusetts.The school encourages a global outlook(视野). Th
ere I decided to welcome the opportunity to learn Chinese. I met other American-born Chinese and together we spoke Ching-lish outside of the classroom.
I searched for ways to access Chinese culture through dramas such as Meteor Garden (《流星花园》)and music by singers such as S.H.E,Wilbur Pan and Jasmine Leung（梁静茹）. Listening to Chinese music is where I found my favorite singer in the whole world:Jay Chou. Even if I cannot understand what he is crooning（哼唱）, I do feel more Chinese whenever I listen to his music.
Last summer I spent five weeks in China,four of which were taking a language course at a Beijing high school. I was proud when I could understand the dialogue in Intitial D（《头文字D》） and when I could easily translate Fairy Tale sung by Kong Leung（光良）.
Learning Chinese has been a rocky trek（艰苦跋涉）, and I know it will continue to be that way before I arrive at a relative plateau（高地） of fluency（流利）.I hope that one day I will be able to work and maybe even live in China as a true Chinese.The author wrote the text mainly to___.
| A．share her experience of learning Chinese |
| B．tell us why she is interested in learning Chinese |
| C．show off(炫耀) the progress she made in learning Chinese |
| D．give advice on how to learn Chinese |
The author's attitude to learning Chinese changed because___.
| A．she found Chinese was interesting to learn |
| B．she wanted to take a course to pass easily |
| C．she realized she should have an open mind to the outside world |
D． she made friends with some American___born Chinese at the school she studied |
The author tried all of the following to learn Chinese EXCEPT___.
| A．listening to Chinese music |
| B．practicing speaking Chinese with her parents |
| C．enjoying Chinese dramas |
| D．taking a Chinese course in China |
We can learn from the text that___.
| A．S.H.E.is the author's favorite singer |
| B．dialogues in Meteor Garden are easy to guess |
C．the author enjoys learning Chinese though it is difficult |
| D．the author can speak fluent Chinese now |
Many people think that the BBC news programs are better than those on other channels because the BBC is not a commercial company. It pays for its programs from the television license money which everyone must pay if they have a television.
The BBC, which is often known as "Auntie", is the biggest news collecting operation in the world. It has the world’s largest network of foreign correspondents (通讯员；记者）. Ten percent of the BBC’s annual budget is spent on news collecting, reporting and presenting. More than 1,700 people work for the BBC news service.
The BBC produces more than 214 hours of news and current affairs programs for radio and television each week. Each television news program costs about £78,000 per hour and each radio news program costs approximately £4,800 per hour. In the UK, about 19 million people ― almost 35% of the total population, watch the BBC television news progams every day.
Developments in technology are improving news collection and presentation every year. The BBC now uses special cameras in the TV news studios to film the news presenters, and captions― the words and sentences at the bottom of the screen, are now produced automatically by computer.
According to the first paragraph, we can learn that __________.
| A．many people are more content with the BBC than with other channels |
| B．the BBC news programs are better thought of than the news programs on other channels |
| C．the BBC news programs are better than other programs |
| D．if we have a television, we must pay the television license money. |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．The number of the people working for the BBC news service is the largest in the world |
| B．The percentage of the BBC’s budget spent on news collecting is the largest in the world |
| C．The BBC has the largest network of foreign correspondents in the world |
| D．The BBC now uses special cameras to film the news presenters and captions |
We can infer from the passage that the UK has a population of about __________.
| A．54 million | B．19 million | C．5.4 million | D．6.6 million |
What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．The BBC News Service |
| B．The BBC Is Not Commercial |
| C．Developments in Technology Are Improving News Collection |
| D．The Biggest Operation in The World |
The first outstanding deaf teacher in America was a Frenchman Laurent Clerc. He and Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet founded America’s first school for the deaf.
When Laurent Clerc was one year old, he fell into a fire. As a result, he lost both his hearing and his sense of smell. At the age of 12, Laurent entered the Royal Institution for the Deaf in Paris. After he graduated, the school asked him to stay on as an assistant teacher.
Meanwhile, in America, Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet was studying to be a minister when he met a young deaf girl, Alice Cogswell. He was upset to learn that there were no schools for the deaf in America. Therefore, in 1815, Gallaudet sailed to London to seek ideas on how to teach deaf people. However, he was unable to get help. He met a French educator of the deaf who invited him to Paris to learn at the Royal Institution for the Deaf.
Gallaudet went to the Royal Institution for the Deaf, where Clerc became his Sign Language teacher. The two worked and studied well together. When the time came for Gallaudet to return to America, he asked Clerc to come with him.
The two men set sail on June 18, 1816. The voyage across the Atlantic Ocean took 52 days; however, Clerc and Gallaudet put the time to good use. They discussed the school for the deaf which they planned to open. On the long trip, they had many conversations about education and deafness. The year after they arrived, they founded a school for the deaf in Harford, Connecticut.
America’s first school for the deaf was founded __________.
| A．in 1816 | B．in 1817 | C．by a Fenchman | D．by an American |
Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet sailed to London because __________.
| A．he wanted to study the system of deaf education |
| B．he needed to finish his studies to become a minister |
| C．he wanted to get help from Clerc |
| D．he wanted to find schools for the deaf |
." After he graduated, the school asked him to stay on as an assistant teacher." From this
sentence we can infer that __________.
| A．the school wanted to help Clerc to get a job |
| B．the school wanted Clerc to be prepared to teach Americans |
| C．the school was impressed with Clerc, and thought he would do a good job |
| D．the school wanted other deaf students to model after Clerc |
The main idea of this passage could best be stated as __________.
| A．Clerc was an intelligent man |
| B．Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet was grateful to Clerc for all that he taught him |
| C．Clerc would teach the deaf in America rather than in Paris |
| D．Clerc, an educated Frenchman, made a difference to American Deaf Education |
A new study shows that fat people in the United States suffer direct economic and social effects because of their size. The findings are from an 8-year study of about 100,000 people. The people who were studied were between the age of 18 and 24 when the research began.
The researchers who carried out the study say they consider the people fat if they are in the top of 5% of the measurement in which weight is linked to height. For example, fat women in the study were about 160 centimeters tall and weighed about 90 kilograms. Fat men in the study were about 175 centimeters tall and weighed 100 kilograms. The researchers say that more than 1,000,000 Americans are that big. The researchers found that fat young women were from wealthy families. The fat women also were 20% less likely to get married and they earned an average of about $6,700 a year less than other women. The study showed less severe effects on fat men. They earned an average of about $3,000 a year less than other men. Fat men also were 11% less likely to get married.
The passage mainly tells us __________.
| A．the standards of fat people | B．the number of fat Americans |
| C．fat people have fewer advantages | D．how long is the study |
From this study we know fat people in America __________.
| A．were respected | B．earned less |
| C．were more likely to get married | D．earned more |
. The underlined word "severe" here means __________.
| A．economic | B．social | C．good | D．serious |
The researchers consider the people fat if __________.
| A．they eat lots of food and do less exercise |
| B．they are fatter than others |
| C．they are in the top of 5% of the measurement of weight |
| D．they are in the top of the measurement in which weight is linked to height. |
A journey to China
14 days from just ￡2,090pp
Fully inclusive from the UK
Price cover international airfares, departure taxes, fuel charges, local transportation, accommodation, all meals, entrance fees, guides, daily tours and visas for UK citizens.
◆Days 1-3 UK-Shanghai
Fly to the great city of shanghai and in the evening sample traditional shanghai food. Visit the beautiful YU Gardens, Old Town. Shanghai Museum, cross the Great Nanpu Bridge and tour the Pudong area. Also explore Xintiandi with its 1920’s style Shikomen buildings and end your stay in shanghai with an amazing Huangpu river evening tour.
◆Days 4-7:Shanghai-Yangtze River Tour
Fly to Yichang and change （approx: one hour）to board your Yangtze River ship for the next four nights. Enjoy a tour of the three Gorges Dam（三峡大坝）before sailing on the grand Yangtze River, passing through the impressive Three Gorges. We take a side trip to the lesser Three Gorges or travel up the Shennong Stream in a peapod boat and enjoy various shore trips along the way.
◆Day8 :Chongqing—Chengdu
Get off in Chongqing and drive to Chengdu for an overnight stay.
◆Day9-10;Chengdu-Xi’an
Visit the famous Panda Reserve to see the lovely animals We then fly to the historic city of Xi’an for two nights stay and enjoy traditional Shuijiao. Next day, explore one of the most important discoveries of the 20th century—the Terracotta Warriors（兵马俑），followed by the ancient City wall and a performance of Tang Dynasty dancing.
◆Day11-13: Xi’an-Beijing
Visit little wild Goose pagoda and see the ancient objects at the well-known Shangxi Provincial museum before walking through the lively militia Quarter to see the Great Mosque. Later fly to Beijing for three nights’ stay and try Peking Duck. During our stay in Beijing, we stroll through Tiananmen Square to the Forbidden city, the largest and best preserved collection of ancient buildings in china, and visit the summer palace. Next day we take a walk on the Great wall, tour the unique Temple of Heaven and enjoy an attractive Chinese Acrzobatio show.
◆Day14:Beijing-UK
Fly back to the UK, arriving home later the same day filled with happy memories.
The underlined word “sample” in the passage probably means “ ” .
| A．buy | B．reserve | C．taste | D．make |
The first and last scenic spots to he visited in Xi’an are .
| A．the Terracotta Warriors and the Great Mosque |
| B．the Terracotta Warriors and shanghai provincial Museum |
| C．Little wild goose Pagoda and Great Mosque |
| D．Little wild goose Pagoda and the Muslim Quarter |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the ad?
| A．The tourists will have to pay extra for fuel and meals. |
| B．The tourists will visit the 1920’s Shikumen buildings in Beijing. |
| C．The tourists will take a side trip to the Three Gorges Dam during the tour. |
| D．The tourists will stay in Beijing for three nights before leaving for the UK. |
The ad is mainly intended to .
| A．encourage the British to travel in China |
| B．attract the British to traditional Chinese food |
| C．offer service of booking air tickets to tourists |
| D．provide the British with a better understanding of China. |
Good readers know that reading isn’t just about knowing words—it’s a way of thinking. Some readers think before, during and after reading. Here are some suggestions that may be of some help.
Think before you read. Before you read the text, ask yourself the questions that why you are reading it and what you want to get from it. Answering the questions will help you choose what words you need to know and what words you can skip or scan.
Think while you are reading. Can you get the meaning of the text without looking up new words in a dictionary? Are there any clues (线索)in the text? A text will often give examples that may help you understand what some of the words mean, let’s take the following sentence for example.
Many large Russian cities such as Chelayabinsk and Irkutsk, have taken steps to protect their culture.
The words “Chelyabinsk”and”Irkutsk” may be new to us, but the sentence tells us that they are examples of_____________
Think after you read. Do you understand the text? What is the main idea of the text? Can you guess the meaning of the new words? Which words do you need to look up? Is the text too easy or too hard for you?
If you practice reading and thinking in this way, you will become a smarter reader and you will learn more, faster and better.
This passage is probably taken from
| A．a newspaper for general readers | B．a magazine for language teachers |
| C．a book for language learners | D．an advertisement for a new book |
Which of the following can best be put in the blank in the passage?
| A．countries | B．mountains | C．rivers | D．cities |
The author of the passage mainly advises that .
| A．we should think before, while and after reading a passage |
| B．we’d better look up every new word in a dictionary |
| C．we should learn to guess the meanings of new words |
| D．the clues in a passage should be made use of |