Editor’s notes: AWL is well known for its dictionaries and English language teaching materials. Some readers have written in to ask us for the latest information on high quality books on English, so here we introduce two texts that aim to improve spoken English fluency.
Let’s speak (Beginner)
By Bev Dusuya, Naoko Ozeki and Kevin Bergman
ISBN: 962001359X
Speak Up(Pre-Intermediate)
By Bev Kusuya, Nako Zeki
ISBN: 0583338050
“Teach the students about your culture and help them talk about their own.” How often are these worthy goals kept from being achieved by the limitations of your beginner level learners? Students at all levels want to talk about culture.
Topics include food, shopping, sports, fashion, the roles of men and women, health, music, and many more.
These are all chosen from surveys of over 15,000 students about their own interests in cross-cultural communication.
“Let’s Speak” and “Speak Up” share a special but excellent way that allows all students to take part in.
The series has questions which start thinking and then help collect opinions about personal topics. Conversation practice is provided by ready to use (现成的)models of basic exchanges on the topic. Also, the cultural information presented in the series comes in the form of interesting, relevant(相关的)facts and ideas from other countries through listening tasks and Culture Quiz exercises.
Team activities in books provide lively problem solving games to enable sharing and comparison of cultural values.
“Let’s Speak” is fit for entry level students of all ages. “Speak Up” provides for the needs of higher level beginners, offering the same careful listening and speaking help, but with slightly more open ended discussion.
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19 Xi San Huan Beilu, Beijing 100081
Tel: (010)68917488 (010) 68917788
Fax: (010) 68917499E-mail: zrh@public.bat.net.cnIn the sentence “Teach the students about your culture and help them talk about their own”, “your culture” here means the culture of .
A.the English native speakers | B.the English learners |
C.the readers of the two books | D.the readers of the newspaper |
Which of the following are mentioned about the two books in the passage above?
a.publisher b.titles c.content d.writers
e.prices f.pages g.book number
A.a,b,d,f | B.a,c,d,g | C.b,c,d,e | D.b,c,e,f |
The two books have in common everything EXCEPT .
A.the same interesting topics
B.the same level of learners
C.proper ways to excite the learners to talkThe passage above is probably taken from the section in a newspaper.
A.EDUCATION | B.NEWS |
C.ENTERTAINMENT | D.BOOKSHELF |
Travelling can be a way to gain life experiences,especially during Spring Break—a week long school vacation in the United States.But what if you’re a student and don’t have enough money for a trip? Don’t worry.Here are some useful suggestions.
Save:This probably is the most important preparation for travelling.Cut expenses to fatten_your_wallet so you will have more choices about where to go and how to get there.
Plan ahead:Don’t wait until the last minute to plan your trip.Tickets may cost more when bought on short notice.Giving yourself several months to get ready can mean security and savings.
Do your homework:No matter where you go,research the places you will visit.Decide what to see.Travel books will provide information on the cheapest hotels and restaurants.
Plan sensibly:Write down what you expect to spend for food and hotels.Stick to your plan or you may not have enough money to cover everything.
Travel in groups:Find someone who is interested in visiting the same place.By travelling with others you can share costs and experiences.
Work as you go:Need more money to support your trip? Look for work in the places you visit.
Go off the beaten path:Tourist cities may be expensive.You may want to rethink your trip and go to a lesser-known area.Smaller towns can have many interesting activities and sights.
Pack necessary things:The most important things to take are not always clothes.Remember medicine in case you get sick and snacks in case you cannot find a cheap restaurant.
Use the Internet:The Net can help to save money.Some useful websites include www.Travelocity.com,www.bargains-lowestfare.com and www.economictravel.com.
By planning sensibly,even students can enjoy the travel.Your travel experiences will be remembered for a lifetime.
This passage is about ________.
A.how to travel with enough money |
B.how to plan your travel |
C.how to make your travel interesting |
D.how to get life experiences |
The underlined words “fatten your wallet” probably means ________.
A.make your wallet larger |
B.put some fat in your wallet |
C.put some choices in your wallet |
D.save some money |
During your trip,________.
A.you can gain valuable life experiences |
B.you need more shoes than clothes |
C.you shouldn’t look for work all the way |
D.you should forget to do your homework |
The purpose of this passage is________.
A.to give some advice on travelling |
B.to encourage the students to have a trip |
C.to introduce some websites about travelling |
D.to teach the students how to save money during their trip |
My wife and I used to feel that it was impossible to be a true friend to someone whose name we didn’t know. How wrong we were! Years of Sunday-morning bus trips through the city with the same group of “nameless” people have changed our thinking.
Before the bus takes off, we all join in a conversation: where’s the silent woman who sits up front and never responds to our cheery greetings? Here she comes. Her worn clothing suggests she doesn’t have much money to spare, but she always takes an extra cup of coffee for the driver.
We get smiles from a Mexican couple as they get on the bus hand in hand. When they get off, they’re still holding hands. The woman was pregnant late last year, and one day her change of shape confirmed that she’d delivered the child. We even felt a little pride at the thought of our extended family.
For many months, our only sadness lay in our inability to establish the same friendship with the silent woman at the front of the bus. Then, one evening, we went to a fish restaurant. We were shown to a table alongside someone sitting alone. It was the woman from the bus.
We greeted her with friendly familiarity we’d shown all year, but this time her face softened, then a shy smile. When she spoke, the words escaped awkwardly from her lips. All at once we realized why she hadn’t spoken to us before. Talking was hard for her.
Over dinner; we learned the stay of a single mother with a disabled son who was receiving special care away from home. She missed him desperately, she explained.
“I love him… and he loves me, even though he doesn’t express it very well,” she murmured. “Lots of us have that problem, don’t we? We don’t say what we want to say, what we should be saying. And that’s not good enough.”
The candles flared on our tables. Our fish had never tasted better. But the atmosphere grew pleasant, and when we parted as friends—we shared names.
Which of the following might be the best title of this passage?
A.The Silent Woman on the Bus
B Friends of the Road
C. Going to Work by Bus
D. Different Kinds of Friendship
All the following statements can describe the woman except ______.
A.poor | B.warm –hearted |
C.cold | D.silent |
The underlined word “establish” in the fourth passage probably has the same meaning as ______.
A.keep | B.set up |
C.discover | D.accept |
The woman had the same problem with her son in the way that ______.
A.they both disabled people |
B.they both liked bus travel |
C.they both brought interest to the passengers |
D.they both had some difficulty in expressing |
We walked in so quietly that the nurse at the desk didn’t even lift her eyes from the book. Mum pointed at a big chair by the door and I knew she wanted me to sit down. Then, Mum took off her hat and coat and gave them to me to hold. She walked quietly to the small room by the lift and took out a wet mop(拖把). She pushed the mop past the desk and as the nurse looked up, Mum nodded and said, “Very dirty floors.” “Yes, I’m glad they’ve finally decided to clean them,” the nurse answered. She looked at Mum strangely and said, “But aren’t you working late?”
Mum just pushed harder, each swipe (拖一下) of the mop taking her farther and farther down the hall. I watched until she was out of sight and the nurse had turned back to writing in the big book. After a long time Mum came back. Her eyes were shining.
She quickly put the mop back and took my hand. As we turned to go out of the door, Mum bowed politely to the nurse and said, “Thank you.”
Outside, Mum told me “Grandma is fine. No fever(发烧).”
“You saw her, Mum?”
“Of course. I told her about the hospital rules, and she will not expect us until tomorrow. Dad will stop worrying as well. It’s a fine hospital. But such floors! A mop is not good. You need a brush.” When she took a mop from the small room what Mum really wanted to do was ______.
A.to see a patient |
B.to please the nurse |
C.to clean the floor |
D.to surprise the story-teller |
When the nurse talked to Mum she thought Mum was a ______.
A.nurse | B.visitor |
C.cleaner | D.patient |
After reading the story what can we infer about the hospital? ______
A.It is a children’s hospital. |
B.The nurses and doctors there don’t work hard. |
C.The conditions there aren’t very good. |
D.It has strict rules about visiting hours. |
Which of the following words best describes Mum? ______.
A.Strange | B.Warm-hearted |
C.Clever | D.Hardworking |
Whatever your level is, choosing to take French lessons in France is the best way to learn French. Place yourself in the local culture and practice your newly found skills in your free time.
You will be taught by native(本地的) French speakers who have a love for teaching and use excellent teaching techniques. Lessons are interesting and you will speak French both inside and outside the classroom.
Learners
·Suitable for all levels from beginners to advanced(高级的)
·Over 18 years old
Class Schedule(课表)
·Classes start on Mondays and run throughout the summer.
·Please arrive at the school by 8:15 am on your first day for a short level test. It will help to place you in the right class.
·Classes run from Monday to Friday each week.
·Classes start at 8:45 am each day depending on your level.
·You will have 3 classes per day lasting 55 minutes each.
·You will have a short break between classes.
Free Time and Tours
·The school offers a lot of cultural activities throughout the week. These activities can include cooking lessons, wine and cheese tasting, visit to Paris, cycling, movies and much more.
·You will have plenty of free time to explore(探索) the local area and practice your newly found language skills or just relax on this learning holiday with a difference.
Other Information
·You should bring a small dictionary, pens and paper with you.
Get more from your holiday, have fun, meet new people and take home a new language skill that will stay with you forever.What is special about the French courses?
A.They are taught in small groups. |
B.The teachers are young French speakers. |
C.They will offer a wine tasting license. |
D.People learn French in and out of class. |
On the first day, the students should _________.
A.take a language test |
B.pay for their study |
C.do a survey |
D.introduce themselves to the class |
How many lessons are there in a week?
A.21 | B.15 | C.30 | D.12 |
We can learn from the text that the course _________.
A.is not suitable for old people |
B.has a short game between classes |
C.provides dictionary for students |
D.offer cooking classes as well |
You probably know you should say "please" and "thank you" at restaurants. You probably know the rules of a library. You know you should respect and be nice to your classmates. But do you have music manners?
Keep It Down! You have to notice the volume of your music. You should not play your music so loud that everyone around you can hear it. Some people might even get angry. Usually, when you play the music loud on an MP3 player, other people can't hear the words of the song. They just hear a loud sound. No one wants to listen to this. Very loud music can also be bad for your ears. So even if you are alone when listening to your MP3 players, you shouldn't turn it up too high.
Take Them Off! You need to know when to turn your MP3 off and put it away. Libraries and schools don't allow MP3 players. There are other places, like museums, that don't have rules, but it would be rude to have your MP3 player on. Sometimes, it doesn't make sense(无意义)to listen on your MP3 player . Why would you listen to music at a play, a movie or a sporting event? You would miss what is going on and others would wonder why you even came.
Take One Out! Once in a while it's okay just to take out one earphone and not the other. Imagine you are listening on your MP3 player when someone asks you the way. It would not be rude to take out one earphone, tell him the way, and put back the earphone and continue listening. You can also do this when you order food at a fast-food restaurant or when you answer the telephone.
It's Your Choice! There are times when you need to decide what is best. For example, some people can listen to music on their MP3 players when reading books, while others think it is disturbing. In cases like this, you need to do what seems right for you. The underlined word "volume" in Paragraph 2 probably means "_________."
A.the amount of a sound |
B.the length of a song |
C.the type of music |
D.the color of an MP3 player |
We should turn down the music when we are alone because loud music_________.
A.may annoy others | B.can hurt our ears |
C.is bad for MP3 players | D.will make us tired |
If we listen to our MP3 player at a play, _________.
A.the theatre won't allow it |
B.the actors will get angry |
C.others won't hear the play well |
D.we may miss part of the play |
The main idea of this passage is about _________.
A.music lovers | B.music manners |
C.music players | D.MP3 earphones |