Suppose you work in a big firm and find English important for your job because you often deal with foreign businessmen. Now you are looking for a place where you can improve your English, especially your spoken English. Here are some advertisements about English language training from newspapers. You may find the information you need.
Global English Centre
☆General English in all four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
☆3-month (700 yuan), 6-month (1,200 yuan) and one year (2000 yuan) courses.
☆Choice fo morning or evening classes, 3 hours per day, Mon. ~Fri.
☆Experienced college English teachers.
☆Close to city centre and bus stops.
Tel:67605270
Add:105 Zhongshan Road,100082
Modern Language School
☆ Special courses in English for business, travel, banking, hotel management and office skills.
☆ Small classes (12~16 students) on Sat.&Sum.from2:00 to 5:00 p.m.
☆ Native English teachers from Canada and USA.
☆ Language lab and computers supplied.
☆ 3-month course: (1050 yuan), 6-month course: (1850 yuan)
Write or phone: Modern Language School, 675 Park Road, 100056
Tel: 67353019
The 21 sty Century English Training Centre
☆ We specialize in effective teaching at all levels.
☆ We offer morning or afternoon classes, both of which last three months and a half at a cost of 800 yuan. Entrance exams:1 June and 1 Dec.
☆ We also have a six-week TOEFL preparation class during winter and summer holidays.
☆ Only 15-minute walk from city centre.
Call 67801642 for more information.
The International House of English
☆ 3/6-month English courses for students of all levels at very low cost: 60 yuan for 12 hours per week; convenient class hours:9~12 a.m. and2~5 p.m.
☆ A 4-month evening classes for developing speaking skills (same cost as day classes).
☆ Well-trained Chinese and foreign teachers experienced in teaching English as a 2nd foreign language.
☆ Free sightseeing and social activities。
☆ Very close to the Central Park.
For further information call 67432308.You work from 9:00a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every day. Which school will you choose?
| A．Global English Centre and Modern Language School. |
| B．Global English Centre and the International House of English. |
| C．Modern Language School and the 21st Century English Training. |
| D．The 21st Century English Training Center and the International House of English. |
The 21st Century English Training Center is different from the other three schools in that.
| A．its teaching quality is better | B．it is nearest to the city centre |
| C．its courses are more advanced | D．it requires an entrance examination |
You’ll probably prefer to go to the International House of English because it.
| A．offers free sightseeing and social activities |
| B．has a special course in spoken English |
| C．costs less than the other schools |
| D．has native English teachers |
If you take the evening classes at the International House of English, you’ll pay about yuan.
| A．60 | B．240 | C．720 | D．960 |
This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.
China has recently been faced with serious issues of product safety. Some cases have brought attention internationally to the increased use of imported ingredients to make food and medicine.
In Panama, medicine made with a poisonous chemical killed or sickened more than one hundred people. A Chinese company had identified it as diethylamide glycol （ [化]乙二醇）, a low – cost substitute commonly used in automobile antifreeze（防冻剂）.
Some countries have banned Chinese-made toothpaste containing diethylamide glycol. China has now told companies to discontinue its use, even though it says the toothpaste is safe. Another industrial chemical, melamine（三聚氰胺）, was found in wheat flour used to make pet food in North America. Thousands of dogs and cats became sick.
The United States has restricted some imports of Chinese seafood because they contained banned substance. And questions have been raised about other products, including children’s toys covered with lead paint.
Chinese officials promised to provide the European Union, the biggest trading partner, with detailed reports on enforcement efforts against unsafe goods.
Meglena Kuneva, commissioner (理事) for consumer protection of the European Union said China should have kept its promise.
China recently closed three companies linked to the Panama and the pet food scare. And itdismissed the former head of its food and drug administration. He was found guilty of corruption (腐败) for approving unsafe drugs. This week, a conference of the State Council approved a proposed special measure on the supervision of food safety. The Xinhua News Agency said it calls for stronger controls over producers, greater responsibilities for government and more serious punishment for illegal activities.
But Chinese officials have accused some foreign media of overstating problems with goods made in China. They say food imports from the United States also fail inspection sometimes. Next Week, American and Chinese food safety officials are planning to hold 5 days of meetings in Beijing to discuss cooperation.
And that’s the VOA Special English Economics Report. I’m Mario Ritter.How many cases with safety problems are mentioned in the passage?
| A．Six | B．Five | C．Four | D．Three |
How was Panama case dealt with afterwards?
A．Three companies linked to it were closed down.
B．The former head of food and drug administration was removed from his position.
C．More serious punishment was conducted for leaders linked to it.
D. Both A and B. It can be inferred but not clearly stated that ________.
| A．Chinese- made toothpaste is safe |
| B．the safety of “made in China” is doubted |
| C．there are safety problems with one more Chinese products. |
| D．stronger control over Chinese products is in need |
The passage is mainly about ________.
| A．China is facing product safety problems |
| B．more controls are taken of Chinese goods |
| C．overstated problems with Chinese goods |
| D．China is losing its trade partners |
There is no doubt that much of the profit of a business—sometimes the whole of its success—depends upon the use of the odds and ends．The odds and ends are various small things，which are left over when the main things are produced．But they possess a real value of their own．
If a business，big or small，looked down upon these odds and ends，it would mean a big difference in the amount of the benefit of the business．Take a meat factory for instance， there are countless odds and ends—bones and hair，which can be made into glue and rope to increase its profit greatly．
Then，if we are college students，what about our odds and ends—the odd moments？ Take time for example．Every one of us has the exact same amount of it．Everyone’s success or failure depends on the use of their time．But everyone uses the time more or less in the same way．However，why many great men in science or art have made huge successes for themselves in the world？Because they have made best use of their odd moments．Take Thomas A．Edison， he never allowed his odd moments to slip by．He thought，planned，and tried his inventions．He always worked twenty hours out of each twenty-four．His inventions made him famous all over the world，and provided valuable wealth for the human beings．
So, remember this axiom：very busy people always find time for everything．However，people with great spare time find time for nothing．Is it very strange？Not at all！The question is how to gather up fragments of time and make full use of them．As many big businesses have found，that the real profit is in using the odds and ends．We also must do in this way to make best use of our odd moments and manage to be successful in something that we do． What are odds and ends？
| A．They are nothing useful． |
| B．They are various small，but valuable things． |
| C．They are the main things that factories produce． |
| D．They are odd moments students deny to gather up． |
Why should the odds and ends be made full use of ？Because ____ ．
| A．lots of factors in success or in failure depend on the best use of odds and ends |
| B．they control to possess a value of their own |
| C．they are various small things people don’t want |
| D．they are useless things left over when the main things are produced |
What does the word “Axiom” in the fourth paragraph mean?
| A．clear and evident without proof |
| B．statement accepted as true without proof of argument |
| C．statement that can be argued |
| D．regulation accepted in scientific usage |
“Fragments of time” equals “____”in the above passage．
| A．the odds and ends | B．immense leisure |
| C．the main things | D．the odd moments |
Why does night fall but never break and day break but never fall?
Why are people who ride motorcycles called bikers and people who ride bikes called cyclists?
In what other language do people drive in a parkway and park in a driveway?
In what other language do they call the third hand on the clock the second hand?
Let’s face it: English is a crazy language. There is no egg in an eggplant, neither pine nor apple in a pineapple and no ham in a hamburger. Sweet-meats are candy, while sweetbreads, which aren’t sweet, are meat.
We take English for granted. But when we explore its paradoxes (探讨它的矛盾), we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, public bathrooms have no baths in them.
And why is it that a writer writes, but fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t groce, and hammers don’t ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, shouldn’t the plural of booth be beeth? One goose, two geese — so one moose, two meese?
How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? How can overlook and oversee be opposites, while quite a lot and quite a few are alike? How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell the next?
English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of human beings. That’s why, when stars are out, they are visible; but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it; but when I wind up this essay, I end it. According to the passage ______.
| A．sweet-meats and sweetbreads are different things |
| B．there should be egg in an eggplant |
| C．pineapples are the apples on the pine tree |
| D．boxing rings should be round |
Which of the following includes two items which have the similar meaning?
| A．A wise man and a wise guy. |
| B．Overlook and oversee. |
| C．Quite a lot and quite a few. |
| D．Hot as hell and cold as hell. |
The underlined words “wind up” in the last paragraph probably mean “______”.
| A．blow | B．roll up | C．get hurt | D．finish |
Through the many paradoxes in the English language, the writer wants to show that human beings are ______.
| A．clever | B．crazy | C．lazy | D．dull |
A
The choice to adopt and hold gratefulness is the one that is different from those who suffer misfortune and those who enjoy a full life.
My mother died when I was 24. It was a very difficult time in my life — everything seemed to fall apart. I lost my job, and then my utilities were turned off. I had to take cold showers for six months. A neighbor who knew about my situation came to my house and made me an offer. I took care of her children as a job, and I no longer went hungry. I was surprised that someone would trust me — a young woman with her children. And it was with the very confidence that before long I began taking care of other people’s children, too. I have since moved 300 miles from Boise, Idaho. For more than 23 years I have made every effort to reach out to all the kind-hearted people who helped me when I was down and out. Without their trust, I don’t know what I would have done. I am very involved in my community and volunteer at the local food bank, and I help out whenever I can. I’d like to owe what I am to whoever has offered me generosity.
If you are grateful for what you already have, the world will work together to give you more to be grateful for. Otherwise, the world will give you more to complain about.
Moreover, the true master learns to be grateful, in advance, for the things that are desired, because, being grateful in advance for some attainment or accomplishment does two very important things: one…it tricks your subconscious into believing that the goal is certain and two…it convinces other people, with whom you must interact to achieve your desires, that you know what you are about, that you are a winner, not a whiner (哀诉者).The underlined word “utilities” refers to __________ in the passage.
| A．water and gas supplies | B．gas and electricity supplies |
| C．shower equipment and water supply | D．heating and TV signals |
The writer was grateful mainly for ___________.
| A．his neighbor’s donation | B．his community |
| C．having got the job | D．others’ trust |
The writer’s personal story in the second paragraph tells us that __________.
| A．to be grateful will get you nowhere but away from home |
| B．a grateful person is most likely to be successful |
| C．we need to be grateful to be helpful and useful |
| D．the fragrance (芳香) stays in the hand that gives the rose |
The best title for the passage would be ____________.
| A．A Thank-You Note to Trusting Neighbor |
| B．You Are a Winner, Not a Whiner |
| C．Be Grateful to Life in Advance |
| D．Gratefulness Brings a Great Fullness to Life |
Like every language, American English is full of special expressions, phrases that come from the day-to-day life to the people and develop in their own way. Our expression today is “to face the music”.
When someone says, “Well, I guess I’ll have to face the music.” It does not mean he’s planning to go to the concert. It is something far less pleasant, like being called in by your boss to explain why you did this and did that, any why you didn’t do this or that. Sour music indeed, but it has to be faced. At some time or another, every one of us has had to face the music, especially as children. We can all remember father’s angry voice, “I want to talk to you.” and only because we did not obey him. What an unpleasant business it was!
The phrase “to face the music” is familiar to every American, young and old. It is at least 100 years old. And where did this expression come from? The first explanation comes from the American novelist, James Fenimore Cooper. He said, in 1851, that the expression was first used by actors while waiting in the wings to go on the stage. When they got their cue to go on, they often said, “Well, it’s time to face the music.” And that is exactly what they did- facing the orchestra which was just below them. And an actor might be frightened or nervous as he moved on to the stage in front of the audience that might be friendly or perhaps hostile, especially if he forgot his lines. But he had to go out. If he did not, there would be no play. So the expression “to face the music” came to mean “having to go through something, no matter how unpleasant the experience might be, because you knew you had no choice.”
Other explanations about the expression go back to the army. When the men faced inspection by their leader, the soldiers would be worried about hw well they looked. Was their equipment clean, whinny enough to pass inspection? Still the men had to go out, and face the music of the band, as well as the inspection. What else could they do?
Another army explanation is more closely related to the idea of facing the results and accepting the responsibility for something that should not have been done. As, for example, when a man is forced out of the army because he did something terrible, he is dishonored. The band does not play. Only the drums tap a sad, slow beat. The soldier is forced to leave, facing such music as it is and facing the back of his horse.According to the passage, how many ways does the phrase “to face the music” come from?
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
What’s the meaning of “to face the music?”
| A．To face something far less pleasant. | B．To face the stage. |
| C．To face the back of one’s horse. | D．To face one’s leader. |
The underlined word “hostile” in Paragraph 3 means “”.
| A．unfriendly | B．dislike | C．unimportant | D．unnecessary |