It’s really true what people say about English politeness: it’s everywhere. When squeezing past someone in a narrow aisle, people say “sorry”. When getting off a bus, English passengers say “thank you” rather than the driver. In Germany, people would never dream of doing these things. After all, squeezing past others is sometimes unavoidable, and the bus driver is only doing his job. I used to think the same way, without questioning it, until I started travelling to the British Isles and came to appreciate some more polite ways of interacting (交往) with people.
People thank each other everywhere in England, all the time. When people buy something in a shop, customer and retail assistant in most cases thank each other twice or more. In Germany, it would be exceptional to hear more than one thank you in such a conversation. British students thank their lecturers when leaving the room. English employers thank their employees for doing their jobs, as opposite to Germans, who would normally think that paying their workers money is already enough.
Another thing I observed during my stay was that English people rarely criticize others. Even when I was working and mistakes were pointed out to me, my employers emphasized (强调) several times but none of their explanations were intended as criticism. It has been my impression that by avoiding criticism, English people are making an effort to make others feel comfortable. This also is showed in other ways. British men still open doors for women, and British men are more likely to treat women to a meal than German men. However, I do need to point out here that this applies to English men a bit more than it would to Scottish men! Yes, the latter (后者) are a bit tightfisted.
. What is the author’s attitude towards English politeness?
| A．He thinks it is artificial. | B．He gives no personal opinion. |
| C．He appreciates it. | D．He thinks it goes too far. |
What can we learn about customers and retail assistants in Germany?
| A．A customer never says thank you to a retail assistant. |
| B．It’s always a retail assistant who says thank you. |
| C．They may say thank you only once. |
| D．they always say thank you to each other. |
We can learn from the last paragraph that Scottish men __________.
| A．are more likely to be involved in a fighting |
| B．are more polite than English men |
| C．treat women in a polite way |
| D．are not so willing to spend money for women |
The author of this text is most probably ___________.
| A．an Englishman | B．a German |
| C．a Scottish man | D．a Welshman |
The author develops the text through the method of ____________.
| A．making comparisons | B．telling stories |
| C．giving comments | D．giving reasons |
Testing has taken the place of teaching in most public schools. Pretests, drills, tests, and retests. They know that the best way to read a textbook is to look at the questions at the end of the chapter and then read the text quickly for the answers. I believe that my daughter Erica, who gets excellent marks, has never read a chapter of any of her school textbooks all the way through. And teachers are often heard to say proudly and openly that they teach to the test.
Teaching to the test is a curious phenomenon（现象）. Instead of deciding what skills students ought to learn, helping students learn them, and then using some methods of assessment（评价） to discover whether students have mastered the skills, teachers are encouraged to teach the students in the opposite way. First one looks at a test. Then one chooses the skills needed not to master reading, but to do well in the test. Finally, the test skills are taught.
The ability to read or write might suggest the ability to do reasonably well on standardized tests. However, neither reading nor writing develops simply through being taught to take tests. We must be careful to avoid mistaking preparations for a test of a skill with the acquisition（习得）of that skill. Too many discussions of basic skills make this misunderstanding because people are tested rather than concerned with the nature and quality of what is taught.
Recently, many schools have faced what could be called the crisis of comprehension or, in simple words, the phenomenon of students with grammar skills still being unable to understand what they read. These students are quite good at test taking and filling in workbooks. However, they have little or no experience reading or thinking, and talking about what they read. They know the details but can’t see or understand the whole. They are taught to be so concerned with grades that they have no time to think about meaning, and reread things if necessary. The author mentions Erica’s performance in her study in order to show_________.
| A．her cleverness in test taking | B．the good way to take tests |
| C．the improper way of teaching | D．the best way to read textbooks |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The teachers are curious about teaching to the test. |
| B．Skills in general are not only useless but often mislead students. |
| C．Ability to read and write has nothing to do with ability to do well in tests. |
| D．Preparations for a test of a skill do not mean the acquisition of that skill. |
In the author’s opinion, __________.
| A．some good methods of assessment should take the place of tests |
| B．more attention should be paid to the nature and quality of what is taught |
| C．students should not be concerned with grades but do more reading and thinking |
| D．students needn’t learn grammar skills because they are useless for understanding |
By “crisis of comprehension” (in Paragraph 4) the author means many students ______.
| A．are too much concerned with grades |
| B．fail to understand the real goal of education |
| C．lack proper practice in grammar drills |
| D．do well on tests but can’t understand what they read |
Most, if not all, Chinese have become richer thanks to 28 years of reform and opening up. But are we any happier?
Various surveys attempt to answer this question. Though experts have presented varying percentages based on different standards, their answers tend to find we are generally happier, and the number of optimists rises each year. The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ 2006 Blue Book on social progress says 70 per cent of rural and urban citizens surveyed in 2005 reported a feeling of happiness and were optimistic about their futures.
But each survey shows a worrisome fact that 10 per cent, at the lowest, of citizens were not content with their lives or not hopeful about the future. We cannot be content with the fact that at least 130 million of our countrymen are not happy.
Although a sense of happiness remains a luxury（奢望）for many of our countrymen because of poverty, we agree wealth is not the only factor of happiness. For most of us, except the extremely rich and naturally born optimists, there simply are too many variables (可变物) that may kill the feeling of happiness. These include, but are not limited to, rising housing prices, tight and instable job market, back-breaking schooling expenses and medical bills.
The most common one, however, is a low sense of security (安全). Some experts pointed that in the low-and-middle income group there was too much uncertainty regarding employment, income, housing, medical situations, and education. How can you feel happy when you always have to prepare yourself for the unexpected?
It may be beyond the government’s reach, not to mention duty, to guarantee (保证) higher income for every citizen. But it does have a burden to create an environment where all citizens can feel a reasonable level of security.From the second paragraph we learn _____________________.
| A．70 % of Chinese people feel happy and optimistic about their future |
| B．the data and the conclusions of the surveys are the same |
| C．the surveys about the sense of happiness were carried out in 2006 |
| D．the purpose of the surveys is to find out the percentage of rich people |
The following factors of happiness are mentioned in the passage EXCEPT _________.
| A．security | B．environment | C．wealth | D．employment |
The underlined word “countrymen” in Paragraph 3 refers to ___________.
| A．people from the countryside | B．people from cities |
| C．people from all countries | D．Chinese citizens |
According to the passage, the author tends to hold the view that _________.
| A．the wealthier we get, the happier we become |
| B．though we get wealthier, we do not feel happier |
| C．it is the government’s duty to raise every citizen’s income |
| D．the government should make sure all citizens feel a good level of security |
Reading is very important to help you learn English. To learn as much as you can from reading, you need to read different kinds of English. This book provides not only different kinds of English but also a good way to check your reading ability.
There are four parts in the book:
Part 1 is Messages: In this part somebody wants to send information in writing to somebody else .There is a test on timetables and a test on text messages.
Part 2 is People: In this part all the tests are about people. For example, there is an informal letter between friends. There is formal English in biography (传记) . There is a job application as a model to help with your writing, as well as testing your reading.
Part 3 is Places: In this part, too, many different kinds of English are shown, some informal and some formal. There is the informal English of a holiday postcard. There is also the formal English in a letter of complaint.
Part 4 is Things: You will find some descriptive writing in this part. There are descriptions of clothes and of a computer.
You can do these tests in any order you like, or you can do all the tests with a formal or informal text .I enjoyed writing this book and I hope you enjoy using it .We can find the introduction to a product in .
| A．Part 1 | B．Part 2 | C．Part 3 | D．Part 4 |
Which of the following is most probably written in informal English ?
| A．A letter of complaint. | B．A computer handbook |
| C．A letter to a friend. | D．A story of a president . |
The passage is most probably written for .
| A．test designers | B．students | C．test-takers | D．teachers |
What is the best title of the book ?
| A．Test Your Reading | B．Help with Your Writing |
| C．Learn Different Kinds of English | D．Practise English in Different Ways |
Testing has taken the place of teaching in most public schools. Pretests, drills, tests, and retests. They know that the best way to read a textbook is to look at the questions at the end of the chapter and then read the text quickly for the answers. I believe that my daughter Erica, who gets excellent marks, has never read a chapter of any of her school textbooks all the way through. And teachers are often heard to say proudly and openly that they teach to the test.
Teaching to the test is a curious phenomenon（现象）. Instead of deciding what skills students ought to learn, helping students learn them, and then using some methods of assessment（评价） to discover whether students have mastered the skills, teachers are encouraged to teach the students in the opposite way. First one looks at a test. Then one chooses the skills needed not to master reading, but to do well in the test. Finally, the test skills are taught.
The ability to read or write might suggest the ability to do reasonably well on standardized tests. However, neither reading nor writing develops simply through being taught to take tests. We must be careful to avoid mistaking preparations for a test of a skill with the acquisition（习得）of that skill. Too many discussions of basic skills make this misunderstanding because people are tested rather than concerned with the nature and quality of what is taught.
Recently, many schools have faced what could be called the crisis of comprehension or, in simple words, the phenomenon of students with grammar skills still being unable to understand what they read. These students are quite good at test taking and filling in workbooks. However, they have little or no experience reading or thinking, and talking about what they read. They know the details but can’t see or understand the whole. They are taught to be so concerned with grades that they have no time to think about meaning, and reread things if necessary. The author mentions Erica’s performance in her study in order to show_________.
| A．her cleverness in test taking | B．the good way to take tests |
| C．the improper way of teaching | D．the best way to read textbooks |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The teachers are curious about teaching to the test. |
| B．Skills in general are not only useless but often mislead students. |
| C．Ability to read and write has nothing to do with ability to do well in tests. |
| D．Preparations for a test of a skill do not mean the acquisition of that skill. |
In the author’s opinion, __________.
| A．some good methods of assessment should take the place of tests |
| B．more attention should be paid to the nature and quality of what is taught |
| C．students should not be concerned with grades but do more reading and thinking |
| D．students needn’t learn grammar skills because they are useless for understanding |
By “crisis of comprehension” (in Paragraph 4) the author means many students ______.
| A．are too much concerned with grades |
| B．fail to understand the real goal of education |
| C．lack proper practice in grammar drills |
| D．do well on tests but can’t understand what they read |
Most, if not all, Chinese have become richer thanks to 28 years of reform and opening up. But are we any happier?
Various surveys attempt to answer this question. Though experts have presented varying percentages based on different standards, their answers tend to find we are generally happier, and the number of optimists rises each year. The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ 2006 Blue Book on social progress says 70 per cent of rural and urban citizens surveyed in 2005 reported a feeling of happiness and were optimistic about their futures.
But each survey shows a worrisome fact that 10 per cent, at the lowest, of citizens were not content with their lives or not hopeful about the future. We cannot be content with the fact that at least 130 million of our countrymen are not happy.
Although a sense of happiness remains a luxury（奢望）for many of our countrymen because of poverty, we agree wealth is not the only factor of happiness. For most of us, except the extremely rich and naturally born optimists, there simply are too many variables (可变物) that may kill the feeling of happiness. These include, but are not limited to, rising housing prices, tight and instable job market, back-breaking schooling expenses and medical bills.
The most common one, however, is a low sense of security (安全). Some experts pointed that in the low-and-middle income group there was too much uncertainty regarding employment, income, housing, medical situations, and education. How can you feel happy when you always have to prepare yourself for the unexpected?
It may be beyond the government’s reach, not to mention duty, to guarantee (保证) higher income for every citizen. But it does have a burden to create an environment where all citizens can feel a reasonable level of security.From the second paragraph we learn _____________________.
| A．70 % of Chinese people feel happy and optimistic about their future |
| B．the data and the conclusions of the surveys are the same |
| C．the surveys about the sense of happiness were carried out in 2006 |
| D．the purpose of the surveys is to find out the percentage of rich people |
The following factors of happiness are mentioned in the passage EXCEPT _________.
| A．security | B．environment | C．wealth | D．employment |
The underlined word “countrymen” in Paragraph 3 refers to ___________.
| A．people from the countryside | B．people from cities |
| C．people from all countries | D．Chinese citizens |
According to the passage, the author tends to hold the view that _________.
| A．the wealthier we get, the happier we become |
| B．though we get wealthier, we do not feel happier |
| C．it is the government’s duty to raise every citizen’s income |
| D．the government should make sure all citizens feel a good level of security |