Everyday, 340 million people speak it. One billion people are learning it and it is said that by 2050, half of the world’s population will be using it. What are we talking about? That global language—English.
The English language started in Britain in the 5th century. It is a mixed language. It was built up when German. Scandinavian and French invaders settled in England and created a common language for communication.
Today it is the official language of the UK, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa and Ireland as well as many islands in the Caribbean . Many other countries and regions use it for politics and business, for example, India. Pakistan, Nigeria and the Philippines. English is also one of the official languages of Hong Kong.
But global advertising and pop music mean that in most countries, you will see or hear some English. Thanks to McDonalds, we all know about "burgers". "fries" and "milkshakes". Songs by Madonna, Britney Spears and Celine Dion are in English. We can sing along, even if we do not understand what we are singing!
English is a messy (杂乱的) language. Every year, dictionaries include new words that talk about popular culture, for example, computer-related words such as "blogging", "download" and "chatroom". Also included are words that teenagers use. Who does not know "cool", "OK" and “hello” ?
Other languages also influence English. Many English words come from French. Words like "cafe" and expressions like "c'est la vie" (that is life) are all part of the English language. On the other hand, the French language includes English words like "le weekend" and "le camping". German words are also part of English. Words like "kindergarten" come from the German language.
Recently, British people have become interested in "yoga". But the word comes from an ancient Hindu language in India.The English language has a history of ______.
| A．over 2000 years | B．over 500 years | C．over 1500 years | D．over 1000 years |
The underlined expression “thanks to ” can be replaced by ______.
| A．because of | B．thankful to | C．not until | D．as if. |
Which of the following statements is true about the language of English ?
| A．It has been changing all the time. |
| B．It has borrowed words from all the other languages. |
| C．French words are used by the English because dictionaries have French words. |
| D．Singers and film stars have the greatest influence on language. |
Many countries and regions use it for politics and business except______.
| A．the USA | B．Nigeria | C．the Philippines | D．Norway |
Make Up Your Mind to Succeed
Kind-hearted parents have unknowingly left their children defenseless against failure. The generation born between 1980 and 2001 grew up playing sports where scores and performance were played down because “everyone’s winner.” And their report cards sounded more positive than ever before. As a result, Stanford University professor Carol Dweck, PhD, calls them “the overpraised generation. ”
Dweck has been studying how people deal with failure for 40 years. Her research has led her to find out two clearly different mind-sets that have a great effect on how we react to it. Here’s how they work:
A fixed mind-set is grounded in the belief that talent is genetic(遗传的) – you’re a born artist, point guard, or numbers person. The fixed mind-set believes he’s sure to succeed without much effort and regards failure as personal shame. When things get difficult, he’s quick to blame, lie, and even stay away from future difficulties.
On the other hand, a growth mind-set believes that no talent is entirely heaven-sent and that effort and learning make everything possible. Because the ego (自尊) isn’t on the line as much, the growth mind-set sees failure as a chance rather than shame. When faced with a difficulty, he’s quick to rethink, change and try again. In fact, he enjoys this experience.
We are all born with growth mind-sets. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to live in the world. But parents, teachers, and instructors often push us into fixed mind-sets by encouraging certain actions and misdirecting praise. Dweck’s book, Mind-set: The New Psychology of Success, and online instructional program explain this in depth. But she says there are many little things you can start doing today to make sure that your children, grandchildren and even you are never defeated by failure.What does the author think about the present generation?
| A．They don’t do well at school. |
| B．They are often misunderstood. |
| C．They are eager to win in sports. |
| D．They are given too much praise. |
A fixed mind-set person is probably one who ___ .
| A．doesn’t want to work hard |
| B．cares a lot about personal safety |
| C．cannot share his ideas with others |
| D．can succeed with the help of teachers |
What does the growth mind-set believe?
| A．Admitting failure is shameful. |
| B．Talent comes with one’s birth. |
| C．Scores should be highly valued. |
| D．Getting over difficulties is enjoyable. |
What should parents do for their children based on Dweck’s study?
| A．Encourage them to learn from failures. |
| B．Prevent them from making mistakes. |
| C．Guide them in doing little things. |
| D．Help them grow with praise. |
With so many unique attractions, world-famous museums and skyscrapers, there is always plenty to do in New York. However, sightseeing in New York City might not be the easiest or the cheapest experience.
This is why our team of real, life-long New Yorkers have created the New York Pass. If you want to discover the best of what this amazing city offers as well as save time and money during your visit, the New York Pass is something you should be interested in. In 2012, New York Passes have been used over 2,500,000 times. Get your Pass today and join the big savings it offers:
The purpose of this passage is to _________.
| A．promote New York Pass |
| B．introduce New York City |
| C．introduce New York attractions |
| D．show New York attractions tickets fee |
What could be the lowest price for a Three-day adult pass and a Two-day child pass?
| A．$ 246. 5. | B．$263. |
| C．$273. 5. | D．$ 290. |
Which of the following is TRUE about New York Pass?
| A．Its holders can save up to $1300 entrance fees. |
| B．Its holders needn’t pay for the attractions it covers. |
| C．Its holders needn’t queue to enter the attractions it covers. |
| D．It can be picked up at Times Square at any time after you order it. |
The underlined phrase “are entitled to” most probably means “are given_____ of”.
| A．the name | B．the honor |
| C．the title | D．the privilege |
Rocky Lyons was five years old when his mother, Kelly, was driving along the country road with him. He was asleep on the front seat of their truck, with his feet resting on her lap. As his mom drove carefully down the winding country road, she turned onto a narrow bridge. The truck hit a rock and slid off the road. She tried to bring it back up onto the road by pressing hard on the gas pedal and turning the steering wheel to the left. But Rocky’s foot got caught between her leg and the steering wheel and she lost control of the truck.
The truck fell into a 20-foot ravine（峡谷）. When it hit bottom, Rocky woke up. “What happened, Mama?” he asked. “Our wheels are pointing toward the sky. ”Kelly was seriously wounded and blinded by blood. “I’ll get you out, Mama,” announced Rocky, who had surprisingly escaped injury. He climbed out from under Kelly, slid through the open window and tried to yank（用力拉）his mother out. But she didn’t move.
“Just let me sleep,” begged Kelly, who was out of consciousness. Rocky insisted, “Mom, you can’t go to sleep.”
Rocky managed to push Kelly out of the truck and told her he’d climb up to the road and stop a car to get help. Fearing that no one would be able to see her little boy in the dark, Kelly refused to let him go alone. Instead they slowly moved up to the road. The pain was so great that Kelly wanted to give up, but Rocky wouldn’t let her.
Rocky kept repeating the inspirational phrase, “I know you can, I know you can.” When they finally reached the road, Rocky broke into tears seeing his mother’s torn face clearly for the first time. Waving his arms and shouting, “Please stop!” the boy stopped a truck. His mother was sent to hospital.
It took 8 hours to rebuild Kelly’s face. She looks quite different today---“I used to have a straight long nose, thin lips and high cheekbones; now I’ve got a flat cheeks and much bigger lips”--- but she has few scars and has recovered from her injuries.
Rocky’s heroics were big news. Everyone was surprised at this little boy’s power. “It’s not like I wanted it to happen,” The boy explained. “ I just did what anyone would have done. ” “If it weren’t for Rocky, I’d have died,” said his mother.According to the text, Rocky and Kelly _________ .
| A．were lost on a country road |
| B．had limited time to find their way |
| C．were involved in a truck accident |
| D．knew little of what happened to them |
When he woke up, Rocky ___________ .
| A．was frightened by his mother’s blood |
| B．found his mother had fallen asleep |
| C．was stuck against the door of the truck |
| D．found the car was turned over |
What happened to Kelly at last?
| A．She passed away. |
| B．She survived and recovered from injuries. |
| C．She became a hero. |
| D．She had a different life. |
What is the best title for the text?
| A．A Boy and His Mother |
| B．How to Behave Well？ |
| C．I Think I Can |
| D．Nothing is Lost |
Are you stressed out, scared or worried all the time? Do you avoid going to certain places, seeing friends or doing certain things because of your worries? Do your worries keep you awake at night? If you’ve answered yes, you may be suffering from anxiety.
Anxiety is a normal and necessary part of life. Anxiety is your brain’s way of telling you about danger. It is anxiety which helps you jump out of the way if a car is speeding towards you. But if it gets out of hand, anxiety can get in the way of your getting on with life and can become a real problem. If this is the case for you, treatment may be a helpful way for you to get your anxiety under control.
Anxiety is a normal part of life. Some people may feel uneasy if moving to a new place and some may get overly anxious in certain situations. There are lots of reasons for this. One main reason is after a stressful thing which has happened in your life. So, if you are involved in a car crash, it’s quite likely that you will be more worried than other people around cars and driving.
Being anxious also probably runs in families. If your parents suffer from anxiety then you are more likely to be anxious too. This is probably partly due to genetics, and partly because of how things are when you’re growing up.
Even though people don’t talk about it much, anxiety is one of the most common mental health problems. About 1 in 4 people will have an anxiety problem at some time in their life.If you have an anxiety problem it’s hard for other people to understand why something that doesn’t worry them, like being in a crowd of people, can be so scary for you. This can make you feel separated and lonely, and may become worse and worse.
The good news is there are lots of excellent treatments available for anxiety. These include taking therapies (疗法) and drugs.Which of the following statements is true about anxiety?
| A．Almost everybody has a certain degree of anxiety in certain situations. |
| B．It’s abnormal for people to get too anxious after a stressful thing. |
| C．With anxiety you are far away from traffic accidents. |
| D．When you feel stressed out, scared or worried, you are surely suffering from anxiety. |
Which of the following reasons for anxiety is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．Genetics. | B．Experience. |
| C．Illness. | D．Environment. |
The author will most probably talk about ________ following this passage.
| A．what is about anxiety | B．how to handle anxiety |
| C．what causes anxiety | D．when anxiety becomes serious |
A punctual person is in the habit of doing a thing at the proper time and is never late in keeping an appointment.
The unpunctual man, on one hand, never does what he has to do at the right time. He is always in a hurry and in the end loses both time and his good name. A lost thing may be found again, but lost time can never be regained. Time is more valuable than material things. In fact, time is life itself. The unpunctual man is for ever wasting and mismanaging his most valuable asset (财产) as well as others. The unpunctual person is always complaining that he finds no time to answer letters, or return calls or keep appointments promptly. But the man who really has a great deal to do is very careful of his time. He knows that he can not get through his huge amount of work unless he faithfully keeps every piece of work when it has to be attended to.
Failure to be punctual in keeping one’s appointments is the sign of disrespect towards others. If a person is invited to dinner and arrives later than the appointed time, he keeps all the other guests waiting for him. Usually this will be regarded as a great disrespect to the host and all other guests present.
Unpunctuality, moreover, is very harmful when it comes to one’s duty, whether public or private. Imagine how it would be if those who are put in charge of important tasks failed to be at their proper place at the appointed time. A man who is known to be habitually unpunctual is never trusted by his friends or fellow men.What does the author think is the main difference between a punctual person and an unpunctual person?
| A．A punctual person does everything ahead of time. |
| B．An unpunctual person never does anything at the right time. |
| C．A punctual person has a lot of appointments. |
| D．An unpunctual person has little time to do anything. |
According to the passage, the main reason that a person is always unpunctual is that _______.
| A．he has more work to do than other people |
| B．he is always in a hurry when he works |
| C．he doesn’t care much about time |
| D．he always mismanages and wastes his time |
If someone isn’t punctual in keeping his appointments, he might ________.
| A．lose his life |
| B．mismanage his asset |
| C．be thought to disrespect others |
| D．do harm to others |
According to the third paragraph, when you are invited to dinner, you should arrive there ________.
| A．after other guests |
| B．before other guests |
| C．at the appointed time |
| D．after the host getting things ready |
Which of the following statements best describes the harm of unpunctuality?
| A．If you are an unpunctual person, you cannot be in charge of any important task. |
| B．If your friends know that you are unpunctual, they may not see you again. |
| C．Unpunctuality may bring about heavy losses for both public and private affairs. |
| D．Unpunctuality may make you miss a lot of appointments and lose friends. |