How men first learnt 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． These letters 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 associations---the things they bring up before our
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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 sad events of our past; and the more we read and learn, the more the number of words that mean something to us increases． 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 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 will make our speech silly and vulgar（粗俗的)．
| A．Men, as well as animals, in vented certain sounds to express thoughts． |
| B．The origin of language is a complicated question． |
| C．Words did not haven written form, at first． |
| D．Words were invented to represent meanings． |
The power of words lies in ．
| A．the fact that it can associate the things in the world with the ideas in our minds． |
| B．the fact that once word is connected with another |
| C．the fact that it can associate one person with another |
| D．the fact that it can recall to us the events of our past |
The following statements are true EXCEPT that ．
A．the more we read and learn, the larger our vocabulary will be |
| B．the longer we live, the number of words that mean something to us increases |
| C．words can be used to represent various meanings |
| D．literary style is usually very charming |
What does this passage primarily concern?
| A．The Meaning of Words． |
| B．The Characteristics of Words． |
| C．The Origin of Words． |
| D．The Power of Words． |
Susan was born as the ninth child in a Catholic family. She suffered from learning disabilities ever since her birth because of her mother’s poor health.
School was difficult for Susan and she was bullied because of her different behaviors. Her siblings, who were much older, had life experiences that were unknown to their little sister. From the time of her birth, Susan was a screamer. The only really safe place that she would use as a repeat was her bedroom. There she would hang posters of her musical idols on the wall and sing popular music into a hairbrush that she pretended was a microphone.
One by one the siblings moved away from home and then Susan’s father died. This left her alone with an aging mother and a cat. The siblings accused her mother of not expecting more out of Susan. She had seen many professionals and remembered hearing the word “borderline” but didn’t know what it meant. She tried volunteer work. Her best state of mind, however, was found when she was singing and so she would regularly join others in karaoke or pubs where she could show her skills and receive appreciation from the crowd.
When Susan announced at Christmas that she was planning to compete in the Britain’s Got Talent contest, her siblings tried to discourage her. It was a wonder that she was even able to do the audition considering the troubles she faced just physically getting to the right place.
“The Woman I Was Born to Be” is a beautiful story written in the simple but humorous voice of the author, Susan Boyle. She tells her story from birth to the present in an interesting and educational manner. The writing is supplemented by photos from her albums.
I love this book! In fact, I read the whole thing in one day!
There is something in the stories that not only teaches the reader but also inspires us to reach for our dreams — no matter how impossible they may seem to be!This passage should be ___________.
| A．a news report | B．a biography |
| C．a book review | D．an introduction |
When Susan was young, ____________.
| A．her mother died of an illness |
| B．her siblings liked her very much |
| C．she was fond of music |
| D．she was envied at school |
According to the passage, which was NOT true?
| A．Susan’s mother expected too much out of her. |
| B．Susan tried doing a lot of volunteer work. |
| C．Susan’s siblings tried to stop her from competing in the Britain’s Got Talent contest. |
| D．Susan’s performances were well received by the customers in pubs. |
The book “The Woman I Was Born to Be” ______________.
| A．is always a best-seller | B．is written in a serious voice |
| C．is full of sad stories | D．contains some photos of Susan |
What does the author think of Susan Boyle？
| A．Pitiful and selfless. | B．Shy and passive. |
| C．Great and generous. | D．Determined and inspiring. |
Scientists in UK have grown a living human "brain". The team at Aston University created tiny bunch of cells which act like a mini nervous system.
They believe it could help find a cure for worse mental conditions like Parkinson’s disease. Professor Michael Coleman is leading the research program. He explained, "We are aiming to be able to study the human brain at the most basic level, using an actual living human cell system. Cells have to be alive and operating efficiently to enable us to really understand how the brain works. "The experiment involves changing cells from a cancer tumour (肿瘤）and making them behave like brain cells.
Although far from finished, researchers hope the false brain cells will give them a greater understanding of how real brains work. This, in turn, could significantly further research into conditions which affect the brain. Neil Hunt, chief leader of the research group, said, "It is still very early days, but in the future the research could lead to a useful tool for looking into dementia (痴呆)."
The technique could also provide a way to carry on animal test and is being supported by the Humane Research Trust (HRT). The scientists predict that over the next ten years a million people will develop dementia. Professor Coleman believes their findings could change this. He said，"We hope our research will provide scientists with a new and highly relational human experimental model to help them understand the brain better and develop new drugs to control the related disease. However, the biggest challenge at present is that we are greatly short of fund, which will slow our research."UK scientists grow a living human "brain" in order to ______.
| A．study the structure of human brain |
| B．make use of living human cell system |
| C．discover how human brain really works |
| D．separate cells from a cancer tumour |
According to Neil Hunt, research into brain cells ______.
| A．will get finished as early as possible |
| B．will make people discover dementia |
| C．will affect the brain growth in many ways |
| D．will help to treat some diseases in nerve system |
From the last paragraph，we can know that ______
| A．the technique provided by HRT is immature |
| B．animal tests are no longer allowed by law |
| C．a million people suffer from brain diseases |
| D．the research program lacks financial support |
The text is intended to ______.
| A．tell us about a breakthrough in medical research |
| B．introduce a research program in human's brain |
| C．introduce the progress of drugs for dementia |
| D．tell us about health problem in nerve system |
No one gets through life without experiencing many disappointments. Strangely, though, most people seem unprepared for disappointment and react to it in negative ways. They feel depressed or try to escape from their troubles instead of using disappointment as an opportunity for growth.
One negative reaction to disappointment is depression. A woman trying to win a promotion, for example, works hard for over a year in her department. Helen is so sure she will get the promotion. However, the boss names one of Helen’s co-workers for the spot. Deeply depressed, Helen loses her enthusiasm for her job and can barely force herself to show up every day. Helen tells herself that she is a failure and that doing a good job just isn’t worth the work.
Another negative reaction to disappointment is the desire to escape. Kevin fails to get into the college his brother is attending, the college that was the focus of all his dreams, and decides to escape his disappointment. Why worry about college at all? Instead, he covers up his real feelings by giving up on his school-work and getting completely involved with friends, parties, and “good times”.
The positive way to react to disappointment is to use it as a chance for growth. This isn’t easy, but it's the only useful way to deal with an inevitable part of life. Helen, the woman who was not promoted, could have handled her disappointment by looking at otheroptions. If her boss did not recognize her talent and hard work, perhaps she could transfer to another department. Or she could ask the boss how to improve her performance so that she could prepare for the next promotion. Kevin, the boy who didn't get into the college of his choice, should look into other schools. Going to another college may encourage him to be his own person, step out of his brother's shadow, and realize that being turned down by one college isn't a final judgment on his abilities or potential.
Disappointments are unwelcome, but regular visitors to everyone’s life. We can feel depressed about them or we can try to escape from them. The best thing, though, is to accept a disappointment and then try to use it somehow: Step over the unwelcome visitor on the doorstep and get on with life.In this passage, the author _____.
| A．analyzes the cause of disappointment |
| B．describes his personal experience in dealing with disappointment |
| C．criticizes Helen and Kevin's negative responses to disappointment |
| D．offers specific examples of the ways people deal with disappointment |
From the context, the word “option” (Para.4) means _____.
| A．way | B．choice |
| C．place | D．job |
In the author's opinion, Helen should ______ instead of feeling depressed.
| A．work even harder to get better than her promoted co-worker |
| B．stand the pressure and competition |
| C．win a good opinion from the boss by seeking his advice |
| D．move into another department to have her talent and hard work appreciated |
Which of the following best expresses the main ides of this selection?
| A．Disappointment is an inevitable part of life and we have to handle it in a positive way. |
| B．Life is made up of a series of disappointments. We have to accept them. |
| C．There are two kinds of reactions to disappointment. |
| D．Most people react to disappointment in negative ways. |
China’s new term, tuhao, may be in next year’s Oxford English Dictionary. The word caught the attention of the dictionary's editing team after BBC’s recent program on influential Chinese words. “If its influence continues, it is very likely to appear on our updated list of words,” said Julie Kleeman, project manager with the editing team.
In Chinese tu means uncouth (笨拙的) and hao means rich. It has traditionally been referred to rich people who throw their weight around in China’s countryside. The word became more popular in September with the launch of Apple’s new gold-colored iPhone, which is loved by China’s rich people. The color became known as “tuhao gold.” The word is now also used by the online community to refer to people who have the cash but lack the class to go with it. Kleeman also mentioned two other Chinese words — dama and hukou — which may also make it into the dictionary.
People can have an intuitive (直观的) grasp of the meanings if they see pinyin, Kleeman said, adding that people avoid using an English word to keep the original meaning.
“We have nearly 120 Chinese-linked words now in Oxford English Dictionary,” she said. Some of them are: Guanxi, which means “connection”; Taikonaut, a mix of taikong, meaning outer space, and astronaut.
The new words will be first uploaded on the official website before the dictionaries arrive. The online version is also renewed every three months. “It at least broke our old rules. It used to take 10 years to include a new word but now we keep the pace with the time,” according to a statement from ex-chief-editor John Simpson.Which of the following statements is true according to the text?
| A．Dama and hukou have made it into Oxford English dictionary. |
| B．Some influential Chinese words appeared on one of BBC’s recent programs. |
| C．tuhao refers to people who have both the cash and the class. |
| D．John Simpson thinks that it is not good to break old rules. |
What does the underlined part in paragraph 2 mean?
| A．Give orders to others. | B．Get ready to help others. |
| C．Go on a diet. | D．Put on weight. |
Tuhao becomes more popular in September partly because ______.
| A．it is very likely to appear in Oxford English Dictionary |
| B．it is often used by the online community |
| C．people use Chinese pinyin to keep the original meaning |
| D．Apple launched a new gold-colored iPhone |
The main idea of the text is that ______.
| A．tuhao may end up in Oxford English Dictionary |
| B．sometimes pinyin makes Chinese words better understood |
| C．tuhao has a new meaning at the present time |
| D．Oxford English Dictionary Includes new words faster than before |
Fix it on your own
Did you know that a bowl of rice could save your iPod if you drop it in a swimming pool by accident? Or that the camera on your phone could tell you what’s wrong with your TV remote control? The experts at Geek Squad (geelsquad.co.uk) have made a gadget (小机件) rescue guide. So, let’s take a look at some of their useful advice.
♦ How to get more juice out of your phone batter
If your battery goes dead but you need to get a number or send one last text, try warming it up. That may give you a tiny bit of power. Take the battery from the phone and rub it between your hands. Or warm it under your arm for a few minutes. Then try to start the phone but use it quickly.
♦ What to do if your gadget gets wet
First, try drying it out with a vacuum cleaner (真空吸尘器). If a vacuum cleaner isn’t at hand, fill a pot or bowl with uncooked rice and put your wet gadget inside. The dry, uncooked rice will absorb all the water and, after a few hours, you should be able to use the gadget. Don’t forget to remove the battery and SIM card before you dry it.
♦ What to do if your TV remote control stops working
If replacing the batteries doesn’t work, get the camera function up on your phone and point the remote at the lens (镜头). When you press a button on the remote, if it is working, the glass bobble (小球) at the front of the remote will light up when you look at it on the screen of your phone. This is because the screen on a phone or digital camera picks up infrared rays (红外线), even though your eyes don’t. If the glass bobble doesn’t light up, the remote is broken. If it does, the receiving device (装置) is broken.If your cell phone falls into a sink, you can _________.
| A．warm it up under your arm |
| B．remove the battery after you dry it |
| C．put it into the uncooked rice |
| D．press it with both of your hands |
Why can a phone be used to prove the TV remote control works well? Because it can _____.
| A．improve the TV remote control |
| B．receive infrared ray |
| C．picture the TV remote control |
| D．reflect infrared ray |
In which section of a newspaper can we possibly read this text?
| A．Life | B．Entertainment |
| C．Finance | D．Culture |
The purpose of this passage is to give people __________.
| A．personal opinions | B．professional guides |
| C．necessary warnings | D．practical tips |