The number of speakers of English in Shakespeare’s time is estimated(估计) to have been about five million. Today it is estimated that some 260 million people speak it as a native language, mainly in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. In addition to the standard varieties of English found in these areas, there are a great many regional and social varieties of the language as well as various levels of usage that are employed both in its spoken and written forms.
In fact, it is impossible to estimate the number of people in the world who have acquired an adequate(足够的) working knowledge of English in addition to their own languages. The purpose for English learning and the situations in which such learning takes place are so varied that it is difficult to explain and still more difficult to judge what forms an adequate working knowledge for each situation.
The main reason for the widespread demand for English is its present-day importance as a world language. Besides serving the indefinite needs of its native speakers, English is a language in which some of important works in science, tech
nology, and other fields are being produced, and not always by native speakers. It is widely used for such purposes as meteorological and airport communications, international conferences, and the spread of information over the radio and television networks of many nations. It is a language of wider communication for a number of developing countries, especially former British colonies. Many of these countries have multilingual populations and need a language for internal communication in such matters as government, commerce, industry, law and education as well as for international communication and for entrance to the scientific and technological developments in the West. What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．The Difficulties of Learning English |
| B．International Communications |
| C．The Standard Varieties of English |
| D．English as a World Language |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．Some 260 million people in the world have an adequate working knowledge of English. |
| B．There are some 260 million native speakers of English in the world. |
| C．It is almost impossible to estimate the number of people with an adequate working knowledge of English. |
| D．People learn English for a variety of reasons. |
According to the passage, what is the main reason for the widespread use of English?
| A．It was popular during Shakespeare’s time. |
| B．It is used in former British colonies. |
| C．It serves the needs of its native speakers. |
| D．It is a world language that is used for international communication. |
What forms an adequate working knowledge of English?
| A．The ability to read a newspaper. |
| B．It is difficult to judge because it differs for each situation. |
| C．Being a multilingual. |
| D．Being a native speaker. |
What type of developing countries would be most likely to use English?
| A．Those geographically close to the United States. |
| B．Those interested in the culture of the United States. |
| C．Former colonies of Great Britain. |
| D．Countries where international conferences are held. |
College libraries are designed primarily for research and study. To explain its use, let us choose a research topic and follow the step-by-step procedure of looking up the material for the paper．
Suppose your assignment is to write a paper on a novel called The Sun Also Rises by American writer Hemingway．The first step is to go to the main catalog．Many small drawers on the large wooden cabinets are lined up in alphabetical(字母的) order．Each of the drawers contains hundreds of alphabetical ordered cards．These cards are printed references to all material available in the library．Title cards are cataloged by the first word of the book title, leaving out the articles like “a”, “an” and “the”．And then you get the cards for the books you need．On the upper left corner of each card is the call number．This is the numerical code that shows where the book is located in the library．The library has open and closed stacks．If your book is on the open stacks, you can go to the open-stack room, and according to the call number find it out by yourself．There are only about 30,000 books on open stacks, while most of the 800,000 books in our library are kept in closed stacks, which are accessible only to teachers and graduate students.
For undergraduates like you, borrowing books from the closed stacks have to be done with the help of our librarian．In that case, you must fill out a call slip(纸条) for the book, showing the call number, author and title．You can get call slips on tables near the catalog cabinets．You show your call slip together with your library card to a librarian at the information desk．He or she will help you find the book out in the closed stacks.What is the main purpose of this text?
| A．To present readers a brief introduction to a college library． |
| B．To guide readers how to find books needed in a college library. |
| C．To tell readers how to fill out a call slip in a college library. |
| D．To show readers where to find books in a college library. |
What letter you should look for on the title card for the book The Old Man and the Sea by the Hemingway?
| A．The letter “t”. | B．The letter “h”. | C．The letter “o”. | D．The letter “s”. |
How are books arranged and shelved in the library?
| A．By call numbers. | B．By call slips of authors’ names. |
| C．In alphabetical order. | D．By the first word of book title. |
Suppose you are an undergraduate and you want to borrow a book from the closed stacks, which is the correct order to do it?
a. go to the main catalog b. show your call slip and library card
c. find out the call number d. fill out a call slip
e. get the cards for the books
| A．a-b-e-d-c | B．b-a-c-d-e | C．a-e-c-d-b | D．b-c-a-e-d |
Here is a true story about a famous man who worked in the White House and a criminal. They once faced the same thing: their mother gave them apples when they were young.
The criminal said: one day, my mother brought some apples and asked my brother and me: “Which do you want?” “The reddest and biggest one,” my little brother said. My mother stared at him and said to him angrily: “You should learn to give the good things to others; you shouldn’t always think of yourself.” Seeing this, I suddenly changed my idea and then said to my mother: “Mum, please give me the smaller one and give the bigger one to my little brother.” Hearing my words, my mother was very happy. She kissed me on my face and gave the reddest and biggest apple to me as a prize. From then on, I learned to tell lies, fight, steal and rob. In order to get what I wanted, I played hard. As a result, I was sent into prison.
The famous man from the White House said: One day, my mother brought some apples. She said to my brother and me: “You all want the reddest and biggest one, right? Well, let’s have a competition. Now I divide the grassland in front of the gate into two and I will give one to each of you and you must shear(修剪) it well. And I will give the reddest and biggest apple to him who does it the most quickly and best.”
After the competition, I won and I got the biggest apple. In our family, as long as you want to get the best things, you must take part in competition. I think it is fair. No matter what you want, you must pay lots of efforts.The criminal got the reddest and biggest apple because .
| A．he told the truth that he wanted a smaller one |
| B．his mother loved him more than she loved the younger brother |
| C．elder brother should of course have the bigger one |
| D．he knew how to make his mother happy from her answer |
We can conclude from the passage that .
| A．it’s important to make children aware that no matter what they want, they must pay work |
| B．it’s wrong to ask children to choose apples when they are not old enough |
| C．it’s wrong to ask children not to always think of themselves |
| D．it’s always necessary to have a competition when we give children apple |
The writer tells the story by .
| A．organizing it in the order of time |
| B．making a comparison between two men |
| C．providing some scientific information |
| D．describing it in the order of space |
It is implied in the passage that .
| A．we should always try to win competitions which can bring us a lot |
| B．in order to get what we want, we should play hard |
| C．giving children apples will lead them to become criminals |
| D．a mother’s educational method has a great influence on a child’s growing |
Animal moms are great moms. You might be surprised at some of these moms.
Octopuses(章鱼)
The octopus mother lays(下蛋) about 50,000 eggs. For about 300 days, she stays with the eggs, cleans them and protects them. She does not leave to feed. However, this animal mom dies as soon as the eggs are hatched(孵化).
Crocodiles (鳄鱼)
A crocodile mother puts a lot of time and effort(努力) into raising her babies.
She starts by building a nest(巢)which she guards for over two months! When the eggs are ready to hatch, the young crocs call out to their mother, who digs them out and helps them hatch. She then carries them in her mouth down to the water, where she will guard them for several more weeks or months until thy learn to hunt on their own.
Bats(蝠)
Bats become moms by hanging head up in a cave, giving birth. Catching the youngsters before it can fall to the ground below, she puts it in a pouch (育儿袋) .Bat moms may carry babies with them when feeding for the first few days. As the little bats get bigger and heavier, moms help them hang on the wall of their caves and return to feed them. It continues for about three weeks, until the babies are grown up and able to fly on their own.
Koalas(考拉)
The animal mom gives birth after pregnancy(怀孕期)of only 35 days. The hairless baby climbs into its mother’s pouch and lives there for another five months. When the little koala is between five and eight months old, it leaves the pouch for short periods of time but returns for safety. Once it is too big to return to the pouch, it will climb onto its mother’s back and ride there until it is about 12 moths old.Whichanimalmomsdiewhentheirbabiesareborn?
| A．Octopuses | B．Crocodiles | C．Bats | D．Koalas |
Acrocodilemotherusuallycarriesherbabytothewater__________
| A．inhermouth | B．onherback | C．inherpouch | D．byhertail |
Abatmom__________.
| A．givesbirthbylyinginthenest |
| B．givesbirthbyhanginginacave |
| C．leavesitsbabiesinthepouchformonths |
| D．letsitsbabiesliveontheirown(独自) aftermonths |
Howlongdoesayoungkoalausuallystay in its mother’s pouchat least?
| A．35days | B．5months | C．8months | D．12months |
Nails in the Fence篱笆上的钉子
There once was a little boy who had a bad temper(脾气). His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer(用锤子锤) a nail into the back of the fence.
The first day he had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control (控制)his anger, the number of nails hammered daily graduallydwindled down. He discovered itwas easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into fence.
Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that now pull out(拔出) one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.
The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said," You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say thing in anger, they have a scar(伤疤) just like these holes. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say 'I am sorry ', the wound is still there. A verbal(言语上的) wound is as bad as physical one."
The little boy then understood how powerful his words were. He looked at his father and said “ I hope you can forgive(原谅) me ,father, for the holes I put in you.”
“of course I can,” said the father.When the boy lost his temper, he must _________ as his father told him.
| A．break some plates and glasses |
| B．pull out one nail of the back of the fence |
| C．hammer a nail into the back of the fence |
| D．tell his anger to others. |
The father let his son to hammer the nails into the back of the fence and draw out in order to _____________.
| A．punish him for his losing his temper |
| B．reward him for his controlling his temper |
| C．educate him in this way |
| D．tell him how to control his temper |
The underlined(划线) expression dwindled down means ____________.
| A．become gradually smaller |
| B．become gradually larger |
| C．get more and more happy |
| D．get more and more sad |
When the boy finally told his father that all the nails were gone, his father______.
| A．took him to the fence and look at the holes |
| B．asked him to pull out one nail of the back of the fence |
| C．asked him to focus his time on study |
| D．told him to have a rest |
When you say something with anger, they will leave a scar just as you put a nail in and then draw it out. It means ______________.
| A．you shouldn’t put a nail in the fence |
| B．if you put a nail into the fence, you shouldn’t draw it out |
| C．it will leave a scar when you draw a nail out |
| D．you will hurt somebody when you lose your temper. |
From this article, we can learn that _______________.
| A．when we hurt somebody, only a sorry is enough |
| B．when we lose temper to someone, we should say sorry to him in time |
| C．the way we educate our children is of no importance |
| D．we should try our best not to hurt others in our daily life once done, it is hard to make up for (弥补). |
Interviews can be quite frightening but our tips can help you. Don’t worry—relax! Remember these things and you’ll be fine.
Be on time. Find out exactly where the interview is and how to get there. Remember that buses and trains can often be late so allow plenty of time. It’s better to be early than late.
Be prepared. Think about what the interviewer will ask you. He or she will probably ask about your qualifications (资历) and your experience but they’ll also ask you why you want the job. Think of some possible questions and prepare your answers before you go.
Wear comfortable clothes. If you wear something new it will make you feel uncomfortable. It’s best to wear something smart but something you like and feel happy in.
Make eye contact（接触）. In the interview, don’t sit looking at your feet. Make sure you sit up and look the interviewer in the eye. This makes you look honest and more confident (自信).
Ask a question. It’s a good idea to ask questions at the interview. Ask about the company or the job. Prepare some questions before the interview. It makes you look more interested if you do this.How many tips（建议） does the writer give in this passage?
| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
Finding out exactly where the interview is and how to get there will help you to .
| A．receive some advice |
| B．be on time |
| C．prepare your answers |
| D．remember the timetable |
According to this passage, the interviewer will probably ask you about .
| A．your family members |
| B．your health condition |
| C．your demand of payment |
| D．your working experience |
Which of the following does the writer say is a sign of honesty?
| A．Making eye contact. |
| B．Travelling by bus or train. |
| C．Wearing something smart. |
| D．Showing your qualifications. |