I am an English teacher, with over 15 years’ experience of teaching in London. I started the DailyStep audio email lesson service because I noticed that when I started their English course, my students’ speaking and listening skills were much weaker than their reading and writing skills. In my view, this is because education in school does not focus enough on communication skills. DailyStep is designed to remedy this situation by offering more practice in speaking, listening and vocabulary.
I am crazy about the English language and it is a real pleasure for me to see the development of my students’ language skills.
I majored in (以….为专业)law at university and then worked for three years as a researcher and journalist for Sky television and BBC magazines. I decided to change to English teaching because of my love of the English language and my wish to move into more satisfying work.
Then I qualified (取得资格)as an English teacher in 1992. My first teaching job was at a language school in Covent Garden, London, where I taught examination classes and Business English . After two years, I moved to the Nippon Club where I taught General English and Business English courses for 9 years. I also developed a unique course called British Society & Culture, covering all areas of British life, such as politics, law, education & music. At the same time, taught Business， Financial& Law English in the financial centre of London. My students included staff （工作人员）from banks and law firms.
As well as running the DailyStep website, I also provide in-company English speech training for companies in London. If you have an important speech coming up and would like some information about how I can help you, please email me at jane@dailystep.com.DailyStep audio email lesson service __________
| A．is an in-company service |
| B．teaches English communication skills |
| C．is designed for working people |
| D．provides English training for free |
What does the underlined word “remedy” in Paragraph mean?
| A．report | B．judge | C．improve | D．practise |
What’s the CORRECT time order of the following events?
a. The author qualified as an English teacher
b.The author taught at a language school in Covent Garden
c.The author worked as a journalist for Sky television
d.The author taught in the Noppon Club.
| A．cabd | B．cadb | C．cbad | D．cdab |
We can learn from the passage that_______.
| A．the author enjoys teaching English |
| B．all of the author’s students are adults |
| C．the author majored in English at university |
| D．the author knows little about how to make a speech |
Londoners are great readers. They buy vast numbers of newspapers and magazines and of books --- especially paperbacks, which are still comparatively cheap in spite of ever-increasing rises in the costs of printing. They still continue to buy “proper” books, too, printed on good paper and bound (装订) between hard covers.
There are many streets in London containing shops which specialize in book-selling. Perhaps the best known of these is Charring Cross Road in the very heart of London. Here bookshops of all sorts and sizes are to be found, from the celebrated one which boasts of being “the biggest bookshop in the world” to the tiny, dusty little places which seem to have been left over from Dickens’ time. Some of these shops stock, or will obtain, any kind of book, but many of them specialize in second-hand books, in art books, in foreign books, in books on philosophy, politics or any other of the countless subjects about which books may be written. One shop in this area specializes only in books about ballet!
Although it may be the most convenient place for Londoners to buy books, Charring Cross Road is not the cheapest. For the really cheap second-hand books, the collector must venture off the beaten track, to Farringdon Road, for example, in the East Central district of London. Here there is nothing so impressive as bookshops. The booksellers come along each morning and pour out their sacks of books onto small hand carts. And the collectors, some professionals and some amateurs, have been waiting for them. In places like this they can still, occasionally, pick up for a few pence an old one that may be worth many pounds.”Londoners are great readers” means that ___________.
| A．Londoners are great because they read a lot. |
| B．There are a great number of readers in London. |
| C．Londoners read a lot. |
| D．Londoners are readers who read only great books. |
According to this passage, Charring Cross Road __________.
| A．is in the suburbs of London | B．is the busiest street in London |
| C．contains various kinds of shops | D．is famous for its bookshops |
In this passage, what does the underlined part “venture off the beaten track” mean?
| A．move away from a busy street |
| B．buy books in a most busy street |
| C．waste time looking for books |
| D．take a risk of losing one’s life |
On Farringdon Road, _______________.
| A．you can find fine bookshops for the latest books |
| B．there are only small bookshops for the second-hand books |
| C．you can see book sellers selling books on hand-carts |
| D．the same books as the ones in the bookshops of Charring Cross Road are sold |
Just two years before her 100th birthday, Sensei Keiko Fukuda has become the first woman to achieve a tenth-degree black belt --- the highest rank in the martial art and combat sport judo(柔道). Fukuda is now one of only four living people who’ve earned the tenth-degree (or dan) black belt. Throughout history, only sixteen people have ever achieved this honor.
Fukuda began practicing judo in 1935 and is the only surviving student of its founder, Kano Jiguro. Urged by her teacher, she learned English to help spread judo internationally.
During a time when getting married, building a family, and becoming a housewife was the standard, Fukuda went against tradition, opting out of marriage to pursue the martial art.
“All I did was judo ... this was my marriage,” Fukuda reflected tearfully to the San Francisco Chronicle. “This is when my life destiny was set. I just never imagined how long this road would be.”
She described the Jiguro’s school, known as the Kodokan, as “old-fashioned and sexist(性别歧视的) about belts and ranks”. In fact, an order that prevented women from achieving any higher than a fifth-degree black belt kept Fukuda at that level for thirty years. She was finally promoted to sixth dan in 1972 when a woman’s division was created.
Fukuda said she approached judo and her life with the intention to “be gentle, kind and beautiful, yet firm and strong, both mentally and physically”. Fukuda said this kind of beauty is decidedly not external (外部的). “ A kind soul is inner beauty,” she explained to the paper. “I believe this is true beauty … All my life this has been my dream.”
Dream realized, the 98-year-old Sensei Keiko Fukuda continues to teach judo three times a week at a woman’s judo.It can be learned from the passage that ____________.
| A．Fukuda achieved the tenth-degree black belt at 97. |
| B．four people earned the tenth-degree black belt in history. |
| C．nearly all of Kano Jiguro’s students were dead. |
| D．the Kodokan was founded in 1935. |
The underlined part “opting out of” in the 3rd paragraph is closest in meaning to _________.
| A．choosing or welcoming | B．longing for or desiring |
| C．keeping out of or avoiding | D．missing or having no chance of |
Why did Fukuda remain at fifth-degree black belt for so long a time?
| A．It was hard for her to improve her level. |
| B．She suffered from a foolish rule. |
| C．Her family life took up too much of her time. |
| D．She didn’t want to improve her level. |
Which of the following is the main idea of the passage?
| A．The only surviving student of Kano Jiguro remains single. |
| B．The tenth-degree black belt is the highest rank in judo. |
| C．Sensei Keiko Fukuda spreads judo throughout the world. |
| D．98-year-old woman becomes the first woman ever to earn judo’s highest-degree black belt. |
Throughout the world, boys and girls prefer to play with different types of toys. Boys typically like to play with cars and trucks, while girls typically choose to play with dolls. Why is this? A traditional sociological explanation is that boys and girls are socialized and encouraged to play with different types of toys by their parents, peers, and the “society”. Growing scientific evidence suggests, however, that boys’ and girls’ toy preferences may have a biological origin.
In 2002, Gerianne M. Alexander of Texas A&M University and Melissa Hines of City University in London surprised the scientific world by showing that monkeys showed the same sex-typical toy preferences as humans. In the study, Alexander and Hines gave two masculine toys (a ball and a police car), two feminine toys (a soft doll and a cooking pot), and two neutral toys (a picture book and a stuffed dog) to 44 male and 44 female monkeys. They then assessed the monkeys’ preference for each toy by measuring how much time they spent with each. Their data showed that male monkeys showed significantly greater interest in the masculine toys, and the female monkeys showed significantly greater interest in the feminine toys. The two sexes did not differ in their preference for the neutral toys.
If children’ s toy preferences were largely formed by gender socialization, as traditional sociologists’ claim, in which their parents give “gender appropriate” toys to boys and girls, how can these male and female monkeys have the same preferences as boys and girls？They were never socialized by humans, and they had never seen these toys before in their lives.Traditional sociologists believe boys’ and girls’ toy preferences ________.
| A．are passed down from their parents |
| B．are largely formed in later life |
| C．have nothing to do with gender socialization |
| D．have a biological origin |
The study by Alexander and Hines shows that monkeys________.
| A．also have a sex typical toy preference |
| B．also play toys as humans do |
| C．have no toy preferences |
| D．like to play different toys at different time |
Alexander and Hines carried out the study to ________.
| A．find more evidence for traditional sociology |
| B．test the intelligence of monkeys |
| C．test whether monkeys like to play toys |
| D．find out why boys and girls prefer different toys |
According to the study, if given a stuffed dog, ________.
| A．only the male monkeys showed interest |
| B．the female monkeys showed more interest |
| C．the male and female monkeys showed the same interest |
| D．neither the male nor the female monkeys showed any interest |
On Oct4,2011 , I phone 4s made its international appearance at the press conference claimed by the Iphone cooperation . Ever since then , Iphone4s has become a hot cake and even made a fashion around the globe. Meanwhile , many new expressions come about in relationship with this type of high-tech products. “Jailbreak” is one of them.
“Jailbreak” means to unlock the operating system of a mobile phone or other device so that it can run software which it is not normally authorized to use because of restrictions imposed（实施） by the device's manufacturer.
If someone jailbreaks a smartphone, tablet computer or other device（设备）, they use a special piece of software in order to remove the restrictions imposed by the manufacturer on the kind of applications that can be downloaded and run on the device. The concept of jailbreaking is most often associated with products from Apple Inc, such as the iPhone, iPod and iPad, which routinely restrict the user to applications licensed exclusively（独家地） by Apple and purchased via its App Store. As well as wanting to lift the restriction（解除限制） on what kinds of applications they can purchase, those who jailbreak often do so as a reaction against what they consider as a form of censorship（监控） imposed by Apple Inc in only allowing the use of their 'approved' apps.
The concept of jailbreaking dates back to July 2007, when it was applied to the iPhone within a month of the device's first release. This first occurrence related to the adding of custom ringtones（个性铃音）, but the idea quickly developed as a means to lift the restriction and equip the phone with games and other applications not licensed by Apple Inc. “jailbreak” means that________________.
| A．Criminals escape out of the jail |
| B．People make a great breakthrough in their life |
| C．It is a way to lift the restriction specially imposed by the Iphone manufacturer. |
| D．It’s a breakthrough beyond one’s dream. |
Which is probably the correct Chinese meaning of a hot cake？
| A．热蛋糕 | B．抢手货 | C．热门话题 | D．最高礼遇 |
Which one is the correct statement from this passage?
| A．The original mobile phones also require jailbreaking |
| B．People jailbreak not only in order to lift the restrictions of applications licensed by the Iphone Cooperation. |
| C．The concept of jailbreak is seldom associated with products from Apple Inc |
| D．The concept of jailbreak dates back to the twentieth century |
Love is a telephone which always keeps silent when you are longing for a call, but rings when you are not ready for it. As a result, we often miss the sweetness from the other end.
Love is a telephone which is seldom program-controlled or directly dialed. You cannot get an immediate answer by a mere "hello", let alone go deep into your lover's heart by one call. Usually it had to be relayed by an operator, and you have to be patient in waiting. Destiny(命运) is the operator of this phone, who is always irresponsible and fond of playing practical jokes to which she may make you a lifelong victim intentionally or unintentionally.
Love is a telephone which is always busy, When you are ready to die for love, you only find, to your disappointment, the line is already occupied by someone else, and you are greeted only by a busy line. This is an eternal regret handed down from generation to generation and you are only one of those who languish for（因…受煎熬） followers.
Love is telephone, but it is difficult to seize the center time for dialing, and you will let the opportunity slip if your call is either too early or too late.
Love is a telephone which is not always associated with happiness. Honeyed words are transmitted by sound waves, but when the lovers are brought together, the phone serves no purpose that many lovers observe that marriage is the doom of love.
Love is a telephone which, when you use it for the first time, makes you so nervous and excited that you either hold the receiver upside down or dial the wrong number. By the time you've calmed down, you will beat a loss to whom you should make the call.
Love is a telephone which often has crossed lines. And this usually happens to you unexpectedly. Your time will either cross or be crossed. Both cases are referred to as "triangle". Fortunately, all such occurrences are transient(转瞬即逝的).What is the best title of the passage?
| A．Love is transient |
| B．Love is permanent |
| C．Love is a telephone |
| D．What’s love in life |
Which statement has the closest meaning to the underlined sentence?
| A．"all shall be well，Jack shall have Jill。“（有情人终成眷属） |
| B．A lifelong love is not only romantic but also practical |
| C．Love is all we have in life |
| D．Beauty is in the eyes of beholder |
Which is the synonym with the underlined word ”doom”?
| A．monument | B．final end | C．key point | D．substitute |
In which part can this passage probably be found ?
| A．advertisement | B．financial | C．emotion | D．lottery |