Announcers on China Central Television (CCTV) will need to do some fast talking to replace the popular English acronyms(首字母缩略词) they’re now forbidden to use. Shanghai Daily reports that “anchors at China Central Television [CCTV] have been banned from saying the English acronyms NBA, CBA, GDP, and the like in their programs
.”
The replacement for those handy acronyms? Chinese presenters must use the full Chinese name, standardized by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.
Although CCTV (oops, we mean China Central Television) presenters must already have a score of at least 94 in their government-rated oral Mandarin proficiency exam（普通话等级考试）, saying the full name of organizations like the CBA or WTO ― 10 and 6 charac
ter’s long separately ― is sure to challenge even the most skillful anchors. CCTV sports anchor Sun Zhengping tells Shanghai Daily, “A full Chinese explanation of the English acronyms must be followed if my tongue slips. It is a little trouble but a necessary one because not every audience member can understand the acronyms.”
Although the government isn’t giving any official explanation for the shift, it is believed to have to do with a proposal (提案) by Huang Youyi, director of the China International Publishing Group, at March’s NPC meeting. In his sp
eech, Huang said, “With more and more publications mixing Chinese with English, measures and regulations should be adopted to avoid English invading Chinese. If we don’t pay attention and don’t take measures to stop the expansion of mixing Chinese with English, Chinese won’t be a pure language in a couple of years.”
Although China is far from the first country to take measures to protect local languages (the French and Québécois beat them to it by a long way), acronyms are more about saving time than they are about corrupting a language, we would think. Good luck to the CCTV anchors.
1. CCTV anchors have to “do some fast talking” because they can no longer ______.
| A．speak as slowly as they like | B．mix English into Chinese |
| C．use shortened Chinese expressions | D．have so much time for their program |
It’s not easy being a teenager---nor is it easy being the parent of a teenager. You can make your child feel angry, hurt, or misunderstood by what you say without realizing it yourself. It is important to give your child the space he needs to grow while gently letting him know that you’ll still be there for him when he needs you.
Expect a lot from your child, just not everything. Except for health and safety problems, such as drug use or careless driving; consider everything else open to discussion. If your child is unwilling to discuss something, don’t insist he tell you what’s on his mind. The more you insist, the more likely that he’ll refuse to talk. Instead, let him attempt to solve things by himself. At the same time, remind him that you’re always there for him should he seek advice or help. Show respect for your teenager’s privacy(隐私). Never read him his mail or listen in on personal conversions.
Teach your teenager that the family phone is for the whole family. If your child talks on the family’s telephone for too long, tell him he can talk for 15 minutes, but then he must stay off the phone for at least an equal period of time. This not only frees up the line so that other family members can make and receive calls, but teaches your teenager moderation (节制). Or if you are open to the idea, allow your teenager his own phone that he pays for with his own pocket money or a part-time job.Why is it not easy being a teenager or a parent of a teenager?
| A．Because the teenager is very naughty. |
| B．Because the parent always expects a lot from the child. |
| C．Because you can make your child feel hurt, or misunderstood by what you say without realizing it yourself. |
| D．Because the teenager wants his or her own space. |
The main purpose of the text is to tell parents .
| A．how to get along with a teenager | B．how to respect a teenager |
| C．how to understand a teenager | D．how to help a teenager grow up |
The last paragraph is about how to teach a teenager .
| A．to use the phone in a sensible way | B．to pay for his own telephone |
| C．to share the phone quickly | D．to answer the phone quickly |
What should parents do in raising a teenager according to the text?
| A．Not allow him to learn driving or take drugs. |
| B．Give him advice only when necessary. |
| C．Let him have his own telephone. |
| D．Not talk about personal things with him. |
As you are students of English, it’s very possible that you’ll be interested in England. That’s where the language was first spoken. But England is often called by other names. This often confuses people and I wonder if you know what these names mean. So, now I would like to tell you about this matter of names. I believe that you have heard people use the names—England, Britain or Great Britain. Let’s see what each of these names means.
If you look at a map of Europe, you’ll see a group of islands--one larger island off the northwest coast, one smaller and many tiny ones. These make up what is called the British Isles. The largest island of the British Isles is Britain. It is also called Great Britain. The smaller island is Ireland.
Britain is divided into three parts: Scotland, Wales and England. But sometimes the word “England” is used instead of “Britain”. Why so?
In ancient times, what is Britain now used to be three different countries. People in these different countries spoke different languages. Over many years the three countries became one. England is the largest and richest of the three and it has the most people. So the English people take it for granted that their own name stands for the whole island.
There’s another thing that confuses people: sometimes you may hear people say “the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”. That is the official name of the country. Northern Ireland is only one sixth of the island of Ireland. The rest of the island is an independent state, called the Republic of Ireland. So we have the names of “England”, “Britain”, “Great Britain”, and “the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”. Now do you know what each of them means?English was first spoken in ____.
| A．Britain | B．England | C．Great Britain | D．Ireland |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?
| A．Wales is the richest of the three. |
| B．Scotland is the largest of the three. |
| C．Sometimes England is used instead of Britain. |
| D．Britain is the only name of the largest island of British Isles. |
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is _____.
| A．part of Britain |
| B．part of British Isles |
| C．the official name of the whole country |
| D．the largest country of all mentioned in the passage |
Which of the following is the best title?
| A．Students of English |
| B．Different Names of England |
| C．Different Languages Spoken in England |
| D．The Republic of Ireland |
Read the advertisements carefully. Then answer the questions that follow.
INTERESTED IN CHILDCARE?
Qualified person or preschool teacher needed for busy childcare center, south of the river. Full-time work guaranteed. Immediate start necessary. The candidate must be able to work as a co-operative team member, Phone 6345 2345 for an interview and fax （传真传输）resume (简历） to 6345 2346.
WE NEED OFFICE CLEANERS!
Three people are required for professional cleaning in the CBD area. Working hours from 5:00 p. m. on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. Approximately five hours per shift. A good record is necessary. Experience preferred. Phone 6345 7843 now.
WANT TO WORK AS A DENTAL NURSE?
This is an exciting opportunity for a qualified dental nurse with a confident and cheerful personality to work in the School Dental health Scheme. You must be able to get along well with children because work involves talking to groups about dental health practices. For further information, visit our website: schooldentalservices@gov. sg. And fax your resume to 6234 4567.
FLORIST WANTED!
Are you a creative and trained florist with at least two years of experience? Then this may be just what you are seeking. The city’s leading Florist Artist Studio needs another part-time member on their wedding team. Please phone 6098 7888 now!You many find the above advertisements .
| A．in a store window | B．in a school magazine |
| C．in a newspaper | D．on a company notice-board |
The position of a(n) is a part-time job.
| A．florist | B．artist | C．preschool teacher | D．dental nurse |
Which of the following is the most important for the childcare job?
| A．Cooking skills. |
| B．Childcare experience. |
| C．The ability to start work in two weeks. |
| D．The ability to work well with other people. |
The office cleaners will be required to work about hours a week.
| A．5 | B．10 | C．15 | D．20 |
The air hostess (空姐) was in a small kitchen at the back of the plane, preparing the plates for lunch, when a little old lady came and spoke to her, “Could you please tell me,” she asked, “where is the ladies’ lavatory (厕所) in the plane?”
“Yes, madam,” said the air hostess and smiled. “It is right at the other end of the plane---at the front.”
The little lady went too far. She walked all the way to the front of the plane, opened the door in front of her, and saw the captain of the plane and the other officers. They were all busy with their work and did not see her. She went out again, shut the door and returned to the air hostess.
“Oh, didn’t you find it, madam?” the girl asked her. “Yes, I did,” said the little lady. “But there are four men in the ladies’ lavatory watching television.”The story happened .
| A．in the evening | B．in the afternoon |
| C．in the morning | D．at midnight |
What were the four men doing when the little old lady opened the door?
| A．They were busy working in the control room. |
| B．They were working while watching television. |
| C．They were watching television in the ladies’ lavatory. |
| D．They were enjoying themselves by watching television. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The air hostess was humorous (幽默的). |
| B．The old lady didn’t find the ladies’ lavatory. |
| C．The old lady was fooled by the air hostess. |
| D．There was no ladies’ lavatory in the plane. |
The Nadam Festival, usually held from June 4 to 9(lunar calendar), is one of the most exciting and colorful festivals in the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region. At the center of the festivities are the fierce horse racing, archery(射箭) and wrestling competitions, the traditional sports of the Mongolian warriors (the three “manly” sports, though young girls and women participate in the horse racing and archery contests).
In Mongolian, the word “Nadam” means “amusement and entertainment” and the festival began in 1225 AD, when Genghis Khan organized an expedition to the west and got control of Khwarezm. In order to celebrate the victory they held the magnificent Nadam Fari. The Mongolians used this exciting gathering as a big occasion to compete in the horse racing, Mongolian wrestling and archery, which were regarded as the three basic skills of men.
Gradually more and more events were added to the festival, such as marksmanship(射击), chess, reciting epics, polo(马球), film, drama, singing, dancing, track and field competitions and so on.
There are three kinds of Nadam, the big one, the medium one and the small one. The big Nadam requires the participation of 512 wrestlers and 300 horses and usually lasts 7-10 days while the medium Nadam will have the participation of 256 wrestlers and 100-150 horses, lasting 5-7 days. And 64 or 128 wrestlers and 30 or 50 horses will take part in the small Nadam, which lasts 3-5 days. Anyone can apply to compete in Nadam, regardless of his or her ethnic origin and religious belief.
Nadam has become a popular artistic and sports event participated in by people of all ages. Boys and girls can also take the opportunity to show their love, i. e. the so-called “meeting at aobao”.
In addition to sports competition, people also make good use of this gathering to hold talks and establish relations in economic trade or to interchange goods.We can infer from the passage that ______.
| A．girls are not allowed to take part in horse racing |
| B．foreigners also have a chance to compete in the Nadam Festival |
| C．the Nadam Festival is only for sports competition |
| D．Business activities can’t be held in the Nadam Festival |
It can be inferred that “meeting at aobao” expresses ______.
| A．love of parents to kids | B．old friends’ friendships |
| C．deep feelings between brothers | D．love between boys and girls |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．The introduction of the Nadam Festival. |
| B．The origin of the Nadam Festival. |
| C．The sports events of the Nadam Festival. |
| D．The modern style of the Nadam Festival. |