More people speak English than any other language except Chinese .English is the main language spoken in the United Kingdom，Ireland，Australia，New Zealand，Canada，the United States and some other countries. Altogether more than 450 million people speak English as their everyday language .Another 100 million or more speak at least some English. Most English words come from old Anglo Saxon，French，or Latin words.
Modern English developed through the efforts（努力） of literary(文学的)and political writings .Modern English was influenced by old English，the beginning of the university educated people，Shakespeare，the common language found in the middle of presentday England and an effort to show and standardize(使标准化)English.
British English，known as Standard English or Oxford English，underwent changes during the colonization(殖民)of North America and the creation（创建）of the United States .British English words changed into American English words，such as centre to center，metre to meter，theatre to theater and so on.
Until the 18th century，British and American English were very similar with almost no difference .Immigration（移民） to America by other English peoples changed the language by 1700.Noah Webster，author of the first authoritative(权威的)American English dictionary，created many changes.Modern English developed through______.
| A．the efforts of literary writings | B．the efforts of political writings |
| C．old Chinese | D．both A and B |
American English changed from______ during the colonization of North America and the creation of the United States.
| A．British English | B．Standard English | C．Oxford English | D．all of the above |
British English was almost similar to American English until the______ century.
| A．20th | B．19th | C．18th | D．17th |
What is the title of the passage?
| A．Why more people speak English | B．What modern English is |
| C．When British and American English had no difference | D．English and its development |
Some futurologists have assumed that the vast increase of women in the workforce may portend（预示）an increase in divorce. The opposite of this concern is that the outlook of becoming a multi-paycheck household could encourage marriage. The earning ability of a woman can make her more attractive as a marriage partner.
The increase in divorce rates follows to the increase in women working outside the home. Yet, it may be wrong to jump to any simple cause-and-effect conclusions. The effect of a wife’s work on divorce is no less cloudy than its effect on marriage decisions. The realization that she can be a good provider may increase the chances that a working wife will choose divorce over an unsatisfactory marriage. But the reverse is equally reasonable. Tensions grounded in financial problems often play a key role in ending a marriage. By raising a family’s standard of living, a working wife may strengthen her family’s financial and emotional stability.
Psychological factors also should be considered. For example, a wife blocked from a career outside the home may feel caged in the house. She may view her only choice as seeking a divorce. On the other hand, if she can find fulfillment through work outside the home, work and marriage can go together to create a stronger and more stable union.
A working wife may rob a husband of being the master of the house. Meanwhile, an attractive woman who finds her value in work may play an important role in a stable marriage. Depending upon how the couple reacts to these new conditions, it could create a stronger equal partnership or it could create new insecurities. If women find fulfillment through work outside the home, _________.
| A．they are more likely to control their marriage partners |
| B．their husbands are expected to do more housework |
| C．their marriage ties can be strengthened |
| D．they tend to put their career before marriage |
One reason why women with no career may seek a divorce is that ________.
| A．they feel that they have been robbed of their freedom |
| B．they are afraid of being bossed around by their husbands |
| C．they feel that their partners fail to live up to their expectations |
| D．they tend to suspect their husbands loyalty to their marriage |
Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
Which of the following statements can best summarize the author’s view in the passage?
| A．The stability of marriage and the divorce rate may reflect the economic social position of women. |
| B．Even when economically independent, most women have to struggle for real equality in marriage. |
| C．In order to secure their marriage women should work outside the home and remain independent. |
| D．The effect of the growing female workforce on marriage varies from case to case. |
As I was thinking about language learning the other day, the image of baking bread came into my mind. I compared some of the exercises and drills that we put ourselves through in order to learn a language to the various ingredients (原料) that go into baking a loaf of fresh bread.
Real language learning takes place in human relationships. No one sits down and eats a cup of flour, even if he is hungry and in a hurry. You don' t become bilingual (双语的) by learning lists of vocabulary. You don' t become a speaker of a language by memorizing grammatical rules. You become bilingual by entering a community that uses that other language as its basic means of communication.
I am not suggesting that we can make bread without ingredients. Flour is necessary, as are yeast (酵母), salt, water and other ingredients. Vocabulary is part of any language and will have to be learned. Grammatical rules exist in every language and cannot be ignored. But merely combining the appropriate ingredients in the recommended proportions does not result in bread. At best, you only end up with a ball of dough (面团).
In order to get bread, you have to apply heat to the dough. And in language learning, that heat comes from the community. Anyone who has learned a second language has experienced that heat. It creeps up your neck when you ask the babysitter, “Have you already been eaten?” when you meant to say, ‘‘Have you already eaten?” When you try to say something quite innocent and the whole room bursts into laughter, you are experiencing the heat that turns raw dough into good bread.
Remember the old saying, “If you can’ t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen". This is where language learning often breaks down because we find the heat uncomfortable and we stop the baking process. In other words, we can' t stand the heat, so we get out of the kitchen.
However, the language learner who stays in the kitchen—in the heat—until the combined
ingredients are thoroughly transformed will enjoy the richness of a quality loaf of bread. He is glad that he did not "get out of the kitchen” at the important moment when the oven seemed too hot.
Now the baker enjoys good bread, seated at the table with family members and guests. However, he does not focus on "bread" but rather on enjoying the whole feast: fine salads, pastas, fresh vegetables, rich desserts and so on. And the language learner has arrived when he no longer needs to focus on language. Language merely becomes one element in the "feast" of membership in his chosen community.
Paris in the springtime was, is and always will be, something rather special. Why not experience it for yourself with this excellent break for four days? This attractive city has something to offer to everyone and with prices at just £129.
Your break begins with comfortable bus transfer (运送) from local pick-up points and travel to Paris is via cross-channel ferry, arriving at your hotel in the evening. The Ibis is an excellent quality hotel with private equipments in all rooms: satellite TV, radio, telephone and alarm clock. It has a bar and restaurant and is situated about two miles south of Notre Dame , enabling you to explore Paris with ease.
The following day, after continental breakfast (included), the bus takes you on a comprehensive sightseeing tour of the city, during which you will see the Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees, L’Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, in fact almost every famous landmark you have ever heard of. You then leave Paris and take a short drive to the magnificent Palace of Versailles, the home of Louis XIV. The tour ends mid-afternoon back in Paris where you will have the remainder of the day at your leisure. In the evening there is a “Paris by Night” tour showing you the beautiful buildings with bright lights.
Day three takes you to Montmarter, perhaps the most attractive quarter. In the afternoon you are free to explore this beautiful city as you wish, perhaps a pleasure voyage on the River Seine, wander around the beautiful gardens or look among the antique shops（古董店）. In the evening you will have the opportunity to visit the best nightclub in the city, the splendid Paradis Latain. On the final day it’s back to the UK via channel ferry.
Included in the price of £129 per person :
●Return comfortable bus travel to Paris
●Return ferry crossings
●3 nights housing in a twin bedded room in a Central Paris hotel with private facilities
●Continental breakfast during your stay
●Guided sightseeing tour of “Paris by Day” and “Paris by Night”
●Visit to the Chateau of Versailles (admission not included )
●Tour around MontmartreWhat is the purpose of this passage?
| A．To show the price of traveling to Paris . |
| B．To tell tourists the routes to Paris. |
| C．To introduce the city of Paris. |
| D．To attract tourists to Paris. |
During the stay in Paris, the tourists will _________.
| A．have a “Paris by Night” tour on the first evening |
| B．live in a hotel two miles away from Paris |
| C．have free time for half a day |
| D．have a pleasure voyage on the River Seine together |
What does the underlined word “quarter” mean in the passage?
| A．An area. |
| B．A period of time. |
| C．A coin worth 25 cents. |
| D．One of four equal parts. |
According to the passage, which of the following is true?
| A．The Palace of Versailles is not in the center of Paris. |
| B．The tourists can telephone in the Ibis without paying. |
| C．It will take you a long time to get to Montmartre from Paris. |
| D．The tourists will spend the night in the antique shops on the third day. |
Raymond Schneider politely elbowed his way through crowds of customers as he made for the candy bins at Dylan’s Candy Bar in Manhattan. Since he was laid off in December, Mr. Schneider, a 33-year-old designer, says he has become a “gummy junkie,” buying a lot of sweets every time he shops for groceries.
“Sugar is comforting,” he said. “There’s nothing more stressful than growing financial insecurity everywhere.”
The recession (经济衰退) seems to have a sweet tooth. As unemployment has risen, Americans, particularly adults, have been consuming growing amounts of candy, say candy makers, store owners and industry experts.
Theories vary on exactly why. For many, sugar lifts spirits dragged low by the economy. For others, candy also provides a reminder of better times. And not insignificantly, it is relatively cheap.
At Candyality, a store in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago, business has jumped by nearly 80 percent compared with this time last year, and the owner, Terese McDonald, said she was struggling to keep up with the demand for Bit-O-Honeys, Swedish Fish and Sour Balls.
“They put candy in their actual budget,” she said.
Many big candy makers are also reporting rising sales and surprising profits.
“Candy companies are relatively recession-proof,” said Peter Liebhold, chairman of the Smithsonian Institution’s work and industry division. “During the Great Depression, candy companies stayed in business.”Raymond Schneider was set as an example to show ________.
| A．many Americans were laid off in the recession |
| B．lots of Americans like candies |
| C．many Americans in the recession like sweets which are comforting |
| D．Americans are suffering much in the recession. |
What does the underlined sentence “The recession seems to have a sweet tooth” mean?
| A．Candy consuming rises while people are suffering bad effects of the recession. |
| B．The recession doesn’t have any bad effect on Americans. |
| C．Americans are optimistic even though they are out of employment. |
| D．Candy companies stayed in business during the Great Depression. |
Which is NOT the reason why people in the recession like sugar?
| A．It is relatively cheap. |
| B．It is comforting and can make a lot of profits. |
| C．It raises people’s spirits up. |
| D．It calls up people’s good memories. |
The best title of the passage is ________.
| A．Sugar Is Comforting |
| B．Candy Companies Stay In Business |
| C．Americans Have A Sweet Tooth |
| D．Sugar Sales Rise In The Recession |
阅读理解（共20小题，每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Robby was 11 when his mother dropped him off for his first piano lesson. I prefer students to begin at an earlier age. Robby said that it had always been his mother’s dream to hear him play the piano, so I took him on as a student.
Robby tried and tried while I listened and encouraged him and gave him more instructions. But he just did not have any inborn ability.
I only saw his mother from a distance. She always waved and smiled but never came in. Then one day Robby stopped coming to our lessons. I thought about calling him but I guessed he had decided to try something else.
I was also glad that he stopped coming for the sake of my career. However, several weeks before the recital (演奏会) of my students, Robby came，telling me that he never stopped practicing and begged me to allow him to take part in it. I agreed, but I made him perform last in the program, so I could save his poor performance through my “curtain closer”.
I was surprised when he announced that he had chosen one piece of Mozart’s. Never had I heard a piece of Mozart’s played so well by someone at his age. When he finished, everyone was cheering.
I ran up and put my arms around Robby in joy. “I’ve never heard you play like that, Robby! How could you do it?”
“Well, Miss Hondorf. Do you remember I told you my mom was sick? Actually she died this morning. She was born deaf, so tonight was the first time she could hear me play. I wanted to make it special. I knew I could.”
That night, Robby was the teacher and I was the student. He taught me so many important things about life.Why might Robby have stopped coming to piano lessons suddenly?
| A．He lost heart and believed that he would never make it. |
| B．His mother might have been seriously ill. |
| C．He thought that his teacher disliked him. |
| D．His mother died and he didn’t need to play any longer. |
We can know from the passage that __________.
| A．the writer thought students shouldn’t begin playing the piano too early |
| B．the writer thought that Robby had given up his piano lessons |
| C．only by practicing at home did Robby learn to play well |
| D．no one else could play the piece of Mozart’s as well as Robby |
From the underlined sentence, we can infer that _________.
| A．the writer looked down upon Robby and disliked him |
| B．the writer thought Robby was a bad advertisement for her teaching |
| C．with Robby in the recital, the other children couldn’t play well |
| D．the writer couldn’t teach so many students at a time |
The writer made Robby perform last because _________.
| A．the one who performs last always performs very well |
| B．Robby asked the writer to do so |
| C．she wanted to do something to save a poor performance |
| D．Robby thought his mother would come at last |