How men first learned to invent words is unknown, in other words, the origin of language is a mystery. All we really know is that men, unlike animals, somehow invented certain sounds to express thoughts and feelings, actions and things, so that they could communicate with each other; and that later they agreed upon certain signs, called letters, which could be combined to represent those sounds and which could be written down. Those sounds, whether spoken, or written in letters, we call words.
The power of words, then, lies in their association-the thing they bring up before our minds. Words become filled with meaning for us by experience; and the longer we live, the more certain words recall to us the glad and the sad events of our past; and the more we read and learn, the more the number of words that mean something to us increase.
Great writers are those who not only have great thoughts but also express these thoughts in words which appeal powerfully to our minds and emotions. This charming and telling use of words is what we call literary style. Above all, the real poet is a master of words. He can convey （表达，传递）his meaning in words which sing like music, and which by their position and association can move men to tears. We should, therefore, learn to choose our words carefully and use them accurately, or they make our speech silly and vulgar.（粗俗的）Which of the following about a real poet is NOT true?
| A．He is less than a master of words. |
| B．His style is always charming. |
| C．His poem can move men to tears. |
| D．He can express his ideas in words that sing like music. |
Where does the real power of the words come from?
| A．From the words themselves. |
| B．From their characteristics. |
| C．From their curiosity. |
| D．From their association. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．The importance of choosing words. |
| B．Where the real power of words come from. |
| C．What great writers are like. |
| D．We should learn to choose words carefully. |
His first successful fight was for the equal rights of black people in South Africa. Then, as the first black president, he fought to unite the country and organize the government. Now Nelson Mandela has set his sights on a new enemy, AIDS.
On March 19 the 82-year-old, former president, hosted his second AIDS-awareness concert. He warned that 25 million people in Africa were already infected with the fatal disease.
Mandela was born in a small village in South Africa in 1918. He was adopted by the chief of his tribe and could have been a chief himself and lived a happy country life.
But he refused to be a chief when his people lived under racial discrimination(歧视). He decided to fight for equal rights for all the people in South Africa. Before 1990, under the country’s Racial Segregation Law, colored and white people lived separately. Black people were treated unfairly even when taking a bus. Blacks had to stand at the back of the bus to make room for white people even when there were only a few of them on board.
For his opposition to the system, Mandela was arrested and spent 27 years in prison. He was freed in 1990 and became the president of the country after the first election were held in which everyone could vote.
Mandela was not only a political fighter who attacked with speeches. He was also a trained boxer and fought in the ring when he was young.
“Although I did not enjoy the violence of boxing, I was interested in how one moved one’s body to protect oneself, how one used a strategy both to attack and retreat”, he wrote in his autobiography.
As a skillful fighter, he chose music as his weapon against AIDS. He hopes to win another victory against AIDS.When was Mandela arrested?
| A．In 1963 | B．In 1990 |
| C．When he refused to be a chief | D．When he became the president |
Nelson Mandela succeeded in doing the following except _______.
| A．winning the equal rights for the black people in South Africa |
| B．Uniting South Africa |
| C．organizing a government in South Africa |
| D．controlling the spread of AIDS |
If Nelson Mandela hadn’t fought against racial discrimination, he_______.
| A．could have been the president of South Africa |
| B．could still have lived a happy life |
| C．could have been in a difficult situation |
| D．would have been an excellent boxer |
Which of the following statements can best describe the life of Nelson Mandela?
| A．struggle is his life |
| B．sports make his fame |
| C．fight for equal rights |
| D．a great fighter against government. |
Have you ever heard the old saying ,"Never judge a book by its cover" ?This is a good rule to follow when trying to judge the intelligence of others. Some people have minds that shine only in certain situations. A young people with an unusual gift in writing may find himself speechless in the presence of a pretty girl when he speaks. He may not be able to find the right words. But don't make mistake of thinking him stupid, with a pen and a paper, he can express himself better than anybody .
Other people may fool you into overestimating (过高估计) their intelligence by putting up a good front. A student who listens attentively and takes notes in class is sure to make a favorable impression on his teachers. But when it comes to exams, he may score near the bottom of the class .
It all boils down to this: you can't judge someone by appearance. The only way to determine a person's intelligence is to get to know him. Then you can see how he reacts to different situations. The more situation you see, the better your judgment is likely to be. So take your time. Don't judge a book by its cover .The passage suggests that ______.
| A．a good writer may not be a good speaker |
| B．a good writer is always a good speaker |
| C．a speechless person always writes well |
| D．a good writer will find himself speechless |
According to this passage, a student who listens attentively and take notes in class ______.
| A．is an intelligence student |
| B．may not be a intelligence student |
| C．will score better in exams |
| D．will not be a good student |
The passage suggests that we should judge a person's intelligence through ______.
| A．his teachers | B．his deeds in the classroom |
| C．his appearance | D．his reaction to different situations |
The writer of this passage wants to tell us ______.
| A．not to judge a book by the cover |
| B．not to make the mistake of thinking a young man stupid |
| C．not to overestimate a student's intelligence |
| D．not to judge person’s intelligence by his appearance |
Were you born in the 1990s? Do you think you are different from older generations? As there has been considerable discussion about “the post1990s” in newspapers and on the Internet recently, people including the group themselves, have begun to look at some things that help shape their culture. Do you find them true?
1. Jay Chou He is not handsome. When he hums no one can understand him. But the 28yearold Taiwan singer has stolen the hearts of many boys and girls who were born in the 1990s. They are crazy about him. Huang Kaiqin, a 16yearold Shanghai student, said，“I love him! I love everything from his lyrics to his melody(旋律), and to his attitude toward the life. ”
2. PSP Its full name is Play Station Portable and it's a Sony product for game fans. Teens love it because PSP is better than the Game Boy in terms of pictures, controls and choices of games. With a PSP you can also play MP3 or MP4, watch movies and so on.
3. Naruto Among all the popular cartoons and comic books, the Japanese manga series has been this generation's favorite read. Naruto, who was orphaned at birth, grows from being a naughty boy to a powerful ninja (日本武士). Naruto teaches readers that honor is very important and not to give up, even if something is hard to achieve.
4. iPods MP3s are not in any way, shape or form. But the iPod is amazing because it is a complete library of music in your hand. Post90s are always excited about the latest product.
5. Tuzki Tuzki, the white and hairy baby rabbit, was not born until January this year. But Tuzki's popularity has been spreading quickly among post90s who like QQ and MSN. Wang Lin, a college student, created the cool little rabbit.
6. Chat lingo On the Internet, the chat lingo is cool and convenient. But one day, teachers notice a new generation of errors entering their students' essays. Words such as “3Q”，“ORZ” and “b4” confuse adults but are part of teens' everyday lives. Which of the following is WRONG?
| A．The latest product among teens is iPod. |
| B．Naruto is a character in a popular cartoon. |
| C．Some adults don't understand their children's words. |
| D．Tuzki is a college student born in January. |
Why does the author write the passage?
| A．He wants to make teens born in the 1990s understand more. |
| B．He criticizes the teens born in the 1990s. |
| C．He doesn't understand the young at all. |
| D．He feels worried about the young. |
The best topic of this passage might be ________.
| A．the post1990s | B．fashionable people |
| C．teens with electronic products | D．chatting generation |
The famous car Rolls-Royce has been largely hand-made and always one of the most expensive cars on the market.
In fact, Rolls-Royce is made up of two men’s names, Charles S. Rolls and Henry Royce. They came from very different backgrounds, received very different educations and when they met; their careers were going in very different directions.
In 1903, Royce bought a second-hand France Decauville car. He found the car unreliable, difficult to start and overheated. Royce decided he could do better himself and set about building two-cylinder (双杠发动机) car of his own design. The first of these, built almost completely by Royce himself, was a success in almost every way: it started easily, ran smoothly and was very reliable. It never failed to impress everyone who saw it rode in the car, including Rolls.
While he was a university student at Cambridge, Rolls acquired a French Peugeot. It was the first automobile seen at Cambridge and by the time Rolls finished his studies, he was probably the most skilled driver in Britain. In 1902, Rolls went into the business of selling cars and became a leading automobile distributor. He was looking for a British car to market when he was told that Henry Royce had designed and built a two-cylinder automobile.
In 1904, Royce and Rolls joined together to build and sell motor car. They combined their talents—Royce the engineer and Rolls the salesman and businessman.
And, just two years later, the partnership produced the Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, a milestone car acclaimed (盛赞) by many by the time as the “ best in the world”. Over the years the automaker built a legendary reputation.The Rolls-Royce is expensive for its ______ .
| A．procedure | B．engine |
| C．function | D．impression |
The underlined word “distributor” in Paragraph 4 probably means ______ .
| A．boss | B．producer |
| C．buyer | D．seller |
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The Rolls-Royce car is the most expensive car in the world. |
| B．The two cylinder car built by Royce failed to impress people. |
| C．When Rolls graduated from Cambridge University, he didn’t do well in driving. |
| D．In 1906 the Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost was popular with many people. |
Societies all over the world name places in similar ways. Quite often there is no official naming ceremony but places tend to be called names as points of reference by people. Then an organized body steps in and gives the place a name. Frequently it happens that a place has two names: One is named by the people and the other by the government. As in many areas, old habits died hard, and the place continues to be called by its unofficial name long after the meaning is lost.
Many roads and places in Singapore are named in order that the pioneers will be remembered by future generations. Thus we have names such as Stamford Road and Raffles Place. This is in keeping with traditions in many countries —in both the West and the East.
Another way of naming places is naming them after other places. Perhaps they were named to promote friendships between the two places or it could be that the people who used to live there were originally from the places that the roads were named after. The mystery is clearer when we see some of the roads named in former British bases. If you step into Selector Airbase you will see Piccadilly Circus —obviously named by some homesick Royal Air Force personnel.
Some places were named after the activities that used to go on at those places. Bras Basah Road is an interesting example, “Base Basah” means “wet rice” in Malay（马来语）. Now why would anyone want to name a road “Wet Rice Road”? The reason is simple. During the pioneering days, wet rice was laid out to dry along this road.
A few roads in Singapore are named by their shapes. There is “Circular Road” for one. Other roads may have part of their names to describe their shapes, like “Paya Lebar Crescent”. This road is called a crescent（月牙） because it begins on the main road, makes a crescent and comes back to join the main road again.What does the underlined phrase “die hard” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
| A．Change suddenly. |
| B．Change significantly. |
| C．Disappear mysteriously. |
| D．Disappear very slowly. |
Which of the following places is named after a person?
| A．Raffles Place. | B．Selector Airbase. |
| C．Piccadilly Circus. | D．Paya Lebar Crescent. |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．Some place names in Singapore are the same as in Britain. |
| B．Some places in Singapore are named for military purposes. |
| C．The way Singaporeans name their places is unique. |
| D．Young Singaporeans have forgotten the pioneers. |