The playwright George Bernard Shaw once said humorously, “England and America are two nations divided by a common language. If he were writing today, he might add ‘divided by a common technology--- e-mail’”.
Two completely different styles of e-mail have formed on either side of the Atlantic-Euromail and Amerimail. Americail is informal and chatty. It’s likely to begin with a “Hi” and end with a “Bye”. The chances of Amerimail containing a smiley face or an “xoxo” are disturbingly high. We Americans are unwilling to dive into the meat of an e-mail. We feel we have to first inform recipients (收信人) about our vacation on the island which was really excellent except the jellyfish were biting and the kids caught a cold, so we had to skip the whale watching trip, but about that investors’ meeting in New York. Amerimail is a bundle of contradictions, casual and yet direct, respectful yet over proud. In other words, Amerimail is America.
Euromail is stiff and cold often beginning with a formal “Dear Mr. X” and ending with a simple “Sincerely”. You won’t find any mention of kids or the weather or jellyfish in Euromail. It’s all business. It’s also slow. Your correspondent might take days even weeks to answer a message. Euromail is exactly like the Europeans themselves.
Recently about 100 managers were asked on both sides of the Atlantic whether they noticed differences in e-mail styles. Most said yes. Here are a few of their observations:
“Americans tend to write (e-mail) exactly as they speak.”
“Why don’t you just call me instead of writing five e-mails back and forth?”
“Europeans are less interested in checking e-mail”.
“In general, Americans are much more responsive to e-mail—they respond faster and provide more information.”
So which is better, Euromail or Amerimail? I realized it’s not popular these days to suggest we have anything to learn from Europeans, but I’m fed up with an inbox filled with casual, barely meaningful e-mails from friends and colleagues. If the alternative is a few earnestly written, carefully worded bits of Euromail, then I say, “Bring it on.” What did George Bernard Shaw mean by saying “England and America are two nations divided by a common language”?
| A．There is not much difference between British English and American English. |
| B．Both England and America speak the common language, so they are much the same. |
| C．Either England or America is a divided nation, though they share a common language. |
| D．There is sharp difference between England and America despite their common language. |
Which of the following is most likely to be the “meat” of an Amerimail?
| A．The jellyfish were biting. |
| B．We had an excellent vacation on the island. |
| C．We had to skip the whale watching trip. |
| D．We were to attend the investors’ meeting in New York. |
On receiving an e-mail, Europeans tend to __________.
| A．respond to it immediately and earnestly |
| B．take more time than Americans to respond to it |
| C．respond by calling up their correspondent |
| D．never respond to it all |
What are characteristics of Amerimail?
| A．Informal and chatty | B．Casual and indirect |
| C．Stiff and cold | D．Formal and direc60 |
We can conclude from the passage that __________.
| A．the different e-mail styles do much harm to the relationship between the two sides on Atlantic |
| B．Amerimail is more appreciated by the writer for being informative and casually written |
| C．Euromail always impresses the writer as something more pleasant to read |
| D．the writer doesn’t favor either e-mail style as both have their own shortcomings |
Towards the end of Middle English, a sudden change in pronunciation started, with vowels being pronounced shorter and shorter. From the 16th century the British had contact with people from around the world. This means that many new words and phrases entered the language. The invention of printing also meant that there was a common language in print. Books became cheaper and more people learned to read. Spelling and grammar became fixed and the dialect （方言）of London became the standard. In 1604, the first English dictionary was published.
The numbers of words in Early Modern English and Late Modern English differ. Late Modern English has a lot more words because of two main factors: firstly, the Industrial Revolution created a need for new words; secondly, the British Empire covered one quarter of the earth’s surface, and the English language took in foreign words from many countries.
From around 1600, the English colonization(殖民地化)of North America resulted in the creation of American English. Some English pronunciation and words froze when they reached America. In some ways, American English is more like the English of Shakespeare than modern British English. Some expressions that the British call “ Americanisms” are in fact original （原先的）British expressions that were preserved (保存) in the colonies but were lost in Britain. Spanish also had an influence on American English, with words like canyon, ranch, stampede and vigilante being examples of Spanish words that entered English. French words and West African words also influenced American English.
Today, American English is the most influential(有影响力的). But there are many other kinds of English around the world, including Australian English, New Zealand English, Canadian English, South African English , Indian English and Caribbean English. They have differences.What can we know from Paragraph 1?
| A．The dialect of London became the standard in the year 1604. |
| B．Vowels were pronounced longer towards the end of Middle English |
| C．The first English dictionary was published in the early 17th century. |
| D．Many new words entered English because many people moved to Britain. |
From Paragraph 2, we know that the Industrial Revolution __________.
| A．required spelling and grammar to be fixed |
| B．required a greater number of English words |
| C．caused many old English words to be useless |
| D．led to the English colonization of North America. |
The underlined word “froze” in Paragraph 3 shows that some English words in America___________.
| A．became longer | B．greatly changed | C．a little changed | D．stayed as they were |
What will the paragraph following this passage most probably discuss?
| A．The development of Modern English |
| B．How the English vocabulary became larger |
| C．Differences among the different kinds of English |
| D．Differences between Middle English and Modern English |
If you want to be a success, study at the University of Waikato is right for you. The university is internationally recognized for its excellence and achievements. It will help you develop advanced research skills. As a university student you can get first-class research facilities (设施) with trained teachers to help, support and advise you in your study. We pride ourselves on our high standards, our research success and our international recognition. For further information: inf@waikato.ac.nz.
Degree
We offer a wide choice of bachelor’s degrees (学位) for international students, which includes: Arts, Communication Studies, Social Sciences, etc. Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Education are only for New Zealand citizens, for further information: deg@waikato.ac.nz.
Tuition Fees(学费)
Tuition fees are different from department to department, generally from $5,000 to $6,000 a year. For further information: tui@waikato.ac.nz.
Accommodation(住宿)
You can have a room in a 4-bedroom flat, which will cost about $100 a month with other regular living costs of about $150 a month for one person. For further information: acc@waikato. ac.nz
Health
The Student Health Service provides excellent medical services for students. The Medical Centre is open five days a week, including student holidays with four doctors and nurses to meet your medical needs. For further information: heal@waikato.ac.nz.
Sports
The Centre is a great place to have sports activities. Trained exercise teachers can help you work out a training plan and keep you active. The sports hall has volleyball, basketball and indoor football courts and a swimming pool as well. There are also a large number of sports clubs at Waikato. For further information: sport@ waikato.ac.nzIf you want to get more information about arts, you can write to ______.
| A．sport@waikato.ac.nz | B．heal@waikato.ac.nz |
| C．deg@waikato.ac.nz | D．inf@waikato.ac.nz |
Which of the following statement is true?
| A．You don’t have to pay more than $5000 a year. |
| B．Everyone can’t choose the Bachelor of Music. |
| C．If you want to know more about Health, you can visit acc@waikato. ac.nz. |
| D．You can live in a flat with two bedrooms. |
According to the text, what will you do if you are ill during Christmas holidays?
| A．Go to a hospital nearby. |
| B．Buy some medicine in a drug store. |
| C．See a doctor at the school medical centre. |
| D．Try to get help from your classmates. |
Ben and his wife Susan were on their way to have dinner with their friends. It was a dark，windy night, and they did not know the way very well. They drove through a town until they found what they thought was the road to Dorling，where their friends lived. But it soon became clear that they were not on the road to Dorling at all. The road that they were on was getting narrower，and there were no other cars on it. The wind was blowing harder with every minute that passed.
They came to a small village .They drove past a church and then two houses without lights on. There was nobody about to tell them where they were，or where the road went. Just then，Ben saw a telephone box，twenty meters or so further on. While he walked back along the road to see if there was a name outside the church，Susan telephoned their friends and told them that they were still on their way.
Their friends were just saying that the dinner was already getting rather cold，when Ben came back to the telephone box，his head down against the wind. He said that there was a tree lying across the road，and that the telephone lines were down. Susan heard nothing more from their friends about the dinner.Some time later Ben and Susan found they took a wrong road because ________.
| A．their friends lived nearer than they drove |
| B．the road was getting narrower and their car alone was on it |
| C．the hard wind made them get lost |
| D．the road was not the same as before |
Ben went to the church to see if there was a name outside because ________.
| A．he was sure to find some people who knew Dorling |
| B．he hoped to get help from there |
| C．he wanted to telephone his friends where they were |
| D．he wanted to stay there for the night |
Susan could hear nothing more from their friends because ________.
| A．the telephone lines were broken by a tree |
| B．the strong wind made too much noise |
| C．they got angry |
| D．they had all left |
From the passage we know ________.
| A．Ben and his wife often went out for dinners |
| B．Ben and his wife lived in the country |
| C．both Ben and his wife were shortsighted(近视的) |
| D．Ben and his wife seldom(很少) went to Dorling |
Do we need an “Ivy League”?
China may soon have its own “Ivy League”, with a union of top universities.
The term originally referred to an athletic conference of eight top universities in the northeastern US. The Chinese version, which was officially started in mid-October, consists of nine famous universities, including Peking, Tsinghua, Zhejiang and Fudan. The union is supposed to result in student exchange programs, recognition of academic achievements, and other joint programs.
The news of this Chinese “Ivy League” has received mixed responses from the public and press. Some negative critics have dismissed it as yet another example of the wishful copying of international practices without fully understanding them. Others say that the “Ivy League” is not necessary but that the union is a good idea, one that could promote academic development.
So what’s your opinion on a Chinese “Ivy League”? Do we need one?
Yes. Ivy League or not, nine of China’s best universities cooperating is a good thing.
These universities combining resources could create a better environment for students and for research. It could also save a lot of time and resources because it would mean fewer unnecessary investments for some of the universities.
Allowing students to move to or have exchanges with other universities could broaden their horizons, improve their social skills and create more employment opportunities. The results could be more important than lessons and achievements.
The term “Ivy League” carries a sense of academic excellence, tradition and reputation. If borrowing such a term could encourage students’ and professors’ mental state and improve Chinese higher education, then there’s no reason not to do it.
No. Universities should do some work on increasing cooperation instead of copying an “Ivy League” model.
Many Chinese universities already have such cooperation with each other. If this cooperation were associated with the “Ivy League”, it would just distract (分散) attention and resources and have a negative effect.
These Chinese universities are all state-run and most get their funding from the government. They’re quite similar to each other in many ways and more cooperation wouldn’t bring about as much potential ability as between , say, public and private, or Chinese and foreign universities.
China should find its own way to develop world-class universities instead of by copying some foreign practices. We have our own unique conditions and foreign lessons often don’t apply well here.
| Ivy in America |
Originally referred to an athletic conference of eight famous universities in the |
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Ivy in China |
Member universities |
Nine famous universities |
Purposes of the union |
* To exchange students |
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| * To |
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| * To work on joint programs |
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Positive side |
1. The cooperation is good for the combination of resources and |
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| 2. Students will have |
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| 3. The cooperation will encourage students and professors |
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| 1. |
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| 2. The cooperation won’t have great effects because of the |
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| 3. China should develop world-class universities in its unique way without |
You never see him, but they’re with you every time you fly. They record where you are going, how fast you’re traveling and whether everything on your airplane is functioning normally. Their ability to withstand(反抗、抵挡) almost any disaster makes them seem like something out of a comic book. They’re known as the black box.
When planes fall from the sky, as a Yemeni airliner did on its way to Comoros Islands in the India ocean June 30, 2009, the black box is the best bet for identifying what went wrong. So when a French submarine (潜水艇) detected the device’s homing signal five days later, the discovery marked a huge step toward determining the cause of a tragedy in which 152 passengers were killed.
In 1958, Australian scientist David Warren developed a flight-memory recorder that would track basic information like altitude and direction. That was the first mode for a black box, which became a requirement on all U.S. commercial flights by 1960. Early models often failed to withstand crashes, however, so in 1965 the device was completely redesigned and moved to the rear of the plane – the area least subject to impact – from its original position in the landing wells (起落架舱). The same year, the Federal Aviation Authority required that the boxes, which were never actually black, be painted orange or yellow to aid visibility.
Modern airplanes have two black boxes: a voice recorder, which tracks pilots’ conversations,and a flight-data recorder, which monitors fuel levels, engine noises and other operating functions that help investigators reconstruct the aircraft’s final moments. Placed in an isolated (隔绝的) case and surrounded by a quarter-inch-thick panels of stainless steel, the boxes can withstand massive force and temperatures up to 2,000℉. When submerged, they’re also able to emit signals from depths of 20,000 ft. Experts believe the boxes from Air France Flight 447, which crashed near Brazil on June 1, 2009, are in water nearly that deep, but statistics say they’re still likely to turn up. In the approximately 20 deep-sea crashes over the past 30 years, only one plane’s black boxes were never recovered. What does the author say about the black box?
| A．The idea for its design comes from a comic book. |
| B．Its ability to ward off (抗御) disasters is unbelievable. |
| C．It is an indispensable device on an airplane. |
| D．It ensures the normal functioning of an airplane. |
What information could be found from the black box on the Yemeni airliner?
| A．The total number of passengers on board. |
| B．The scene of the crash and extent of the damage. |
| C．Data for analyzing the cause of the crash. |
| D．Homing signals sent by the pilot before the crash. |
What do you think was the reason why the black box was redesigned in 1965?
| A．The early models didn’t provide the needed data. |
| B．The early models often got damaged in the crash. |
| C．Too much space was needed for its installation. |
| D．New materials became available by that time. |
What do we know about the black boxes from Air France Flight 447?
| A．They were destroyed somewhere near Brazil. |
| B．There is an urgent need for them to be reconstructed. |
| C．They have stopped sending homing signals. |
| D．There is still a good chance of their being recovered. |