Even if he is not the most liked comedian in China today, his popularity certainly has risen the fastest within the last two months.
He's "Little Shenyang", who came into national fame overnight after his appearance on CCTV's Spring Festival Gala. With his funny cross-dressing, unique northeastern accent and superb imitative(模仿的) skills, Little Shenyang has obvious talent to support his rise to fame.
Hundreds of video clips of his shows have been posted on YouTube and other online video sites, and his performance fees reportedly grew 50-fold in just a few weeks. He has, at the same time, become one of the most controversial of entertainers.
Many have doubted his artistic potential, pointing out that his shows were repetitive and lacked creativity, a key to continued comedic success. Others belittle (轻视) the style of humor, saying it's too crude and appeals only to less-educated people. His defenders were just as up in arms. Many media commentators and bloggers said that his quick rise to star proved the broad appeal of his art form. He became a national champion not because of his "northeastern hick(乡巴佬)" humor, they argued, but because he represented something new on TV, something with a grassroots feel that appealed to millions of ordinary people.
Now, does Little Shenyang really deserve his star status? Some people belittle Little Shenyang’s humor because _________.
| A．He represents something with a grassroots feel. |
| B．The style of humor lacked creativity. |
| C．He speaks with a northeast accent. |
| D．He became famous overnight. |
What’s the secret of Little Shenyang’s success?
| A．His funny cross-dressing. |
| B．His unique accent |
| C．His super imitative skills |
| D．All of the above |
From the passage, we can infer that _________.
| A．Little Shenyang is the most popular comedian in China. |
| B．Few people like Little Shenyang’s performance. |
| C．Little Shenyang earns a lot of money now. |
| D．The author thinks little of Little Shenyang. |
Expressing emotions is important rather than hiding them or keeping them inside. Everyone feels negative emotions such as anger and needs to deal with them. But there are healthy ways to express anger and ways to control it.
Shouting bad words at someone will hurt the other person or make them angry too. If you feel angry, it is best to think before you speak. Some people in the UK use the expression “take a deep breath and count to 10”, meaning take a pause, breathe deeply and let yourself calm down instead of getting angry.
Another expression people use to say they are controlling their anger is “biting their lip”. This means not letting the bad words come out of their mouth. If you cannot think of anything but bad words, it is probably best to “bite your lip.”
But sometimes letting all your anger out can be cathartic(宣泄情绪), as long as you do it at the right place and time. If you have just had a bad day, you could go into a room by yourself and scream or yell very loudly. Or if you want to hit someone or smash something, you could hit a pillow instead. Then after you let your frustration out this way, you’ll be able to deal with your problems more calmly.
If you do lose your temper with someone and swear at them, though, you need to apologize. One way to do this is to say “pardon my French”. This expression has been used for many years as an apology for bad language. Then you can calmly explain what made you upset. According to the passage, what does the expression “pardon my French” mean?
A. “Please let me through”.
B “I can’t speak French well”.
C. “Sorry I said a bad word”.
D. “I’m very angry with you”.What does letting out your frustration help you to do?
| A．Make others more upset. |
| B．Feel happier about yourself . |
| C．Solve a problem calmly. |
| D．It is no help at all. |
Who is this passage most likely written for?
| A．All kinds of people |
| B．Young children |
| C．Very angry people |
| D．People who like to swear |
How does this passage view expressing emotions?
| A．They should be kept very private. |
| B．They need to be expressed but in a way that hurts no one. |
| C．They should be expressed any way you like. |
| D．They should only be expressed if they are positive. |
Over 60﹪of pupils in South African schools choose English for learning and teaching, but only 7﹪of pupils speak English as their home language, a recent South Africa survey shows.
Out of the country’s 12.2 million pupils only 851,536 speak English at home, yet 7.6 million pupils choose English as their favorite language of learning and teaching. Zulu is the most widely spoken home language, spoken by over 3.1 million pupils. However, less than a third of them choose to be taught in Zulu. The same thing is true of Pedi-speaking pupils, only a third of such pupils choosing to be taught in their home language. Besides English,
Afrikaans is the only language that has more pupils choosing it as their language of instruction than it has pupils who speak it at home. In primary schools, most pupils will choose African languages. As early as grade four, many would choose English or Afrikaans in their lessons.
The rising number of English-learning pupils is mainly caused by social and cultural reasons. English is the most common spoken language in official and public life in South Africa, the survey reports. In April 2011, the leaders of higher education and training said that they would take some steps to improve the university teaching and prevent the continuing decline of African languages. They suggested that in future every South African university student could be required to learn at least one African language in order to complete their studies at school. We can learn from the passage that most South African pupils__________.
| A．speak English both at home and at school |
| B．are required to learn two languages at school |
| C．choose English as their primary school language |
| D．are expected to speak their native language at home. |
It can be inferred from the passage that__________________.
| A．Afrikaans is the most popular home language in South Africa |
| B．it’s easier for South African pupils to learn Afrikaans at school. |
| C．the number of South African pupils learning Afrikaans has increased |
| D．many South African pupils use Afrikaans at school instead of at home. |
The underlined word “decline” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to “_________”.
| A．going downhill |
| B．spreading widely |
| C．growing upwards |
| D．developing further |
What is the survey in the passage mainly about?
| A．The use of native languages in South African families. |
| B．The language choice and use among South African pupils. |
| C．The progress in South Africa’s language teaching education |
| D．The spread of English at schools in South Africa. |
Pasta is the world’s favorite food. Asurveytaken in 17 countriesconfirmedthat pasta is what people like to eat most. Not only is pasta the number one food in its home country -Italy, but is alsoenjoyedin faraway places like the Philippines, Mexico andSouth Africa.
Pasta has become popular, for one thing, because it is cheap and easy to prepare. Just cook noodles or other forms of pasta, make a sauce to go with it and you’re finished. Many different types of meals can becreatedwith pasta. It tastes good and fills your stomach. It produces energy in the form ofcarbohydrates(碳水化合物)， which is whyathleteseat pasta regularly. Pasta can also be kept for a longer time. You don’t have to use it up at once.
Pasta has also become popular because it stands for the Italian way of life. People all over the world like it because it’s so simple. It has two basic ingredients(成分), wheatand water, just like bread.
Legend has itthat Marco Polo brought pasta back to Italy with him but this is not true. Arabs probably brought a noodle-likedishtoSicilyin the 8th century. Farmers have been growing wheat, the mainingredientof pasta, there for ages.
The worldwide sales of pasta have risen sharply over the past decade. Italy leads the pasta-eatingcommunityof the world. The Italians are the number one consumers followed by Venezuela and Tunisia.In which country do people eat pasta most?
| A．Mexico | B．Venezuela | C．The Philippines | D．South Africa |
Sports people often have pasta because_________.
| A．it costs less money |
| B．it can be kept longer |
| C．it provides proper energy |
| D．it contains no carbohydrates |
One reason why pasta is favored is that_______.
| A．people like a simple lifestyle |
| B．it smells just like bread |
| C．it is rich in nutrition |
| D．Italian food stands for fansition. |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．The origin of pasta |
| B．Italians’ love for pasta |
| C．Pasta is changing people’s way of life |
| D．Pasta—the world’s favorite food |
International students studying in the UK
The UK has a long history of welcoming international students to study in its universities and colleges. In the UK last year there were over 104,000 international students. Choosing which university or college to go to was like a life-changing decision. Do as much research as possible so that you choose the right course for the right reason.
How to apply for higher education
All applications for higher education courses are made using our online application system, which is available 24 hours a day. You fill in the application form online and it does not need to be completed all at once. Please see the When to Apply page to check the dates by which we should receive your completed application.
Choosing a higher education course to study
Try to do a lot of research when deciding which courses to apply for. You will probably want to find out even more before you accept an offer of a place on a course. When you accept an offer of a place, make sure that all of your questions have been answered. Ask teachers if there is anything to prepare before the course starts. They may suggest that you look at certain books on the course reading list or that you improve your computer skills.
Other help and advice
Unistats is a website that can help you to research subjects and universities before deciding where to apply. You can compare subjects, compare universities and explore useful information about getting a job after graduation. Unistats has statistical (统计的) information on universities, colleges, subjects and teaching style.
Yougo is a student-only networking site where you can meet other applicants online and talk about what you hope to study and the university you hope to attend.
If you have any questions, please call us at 0044-330-333-0230.One who wants to get into a university in the UK________.
| A．must have a good reason to study abroad |
| B．can make an application on the Internet |
| C．should create more learning programs |
| D．will be asked to send a plan to a teacher |
We can learn from the passage that it is a wise idea to ________.
| A．learn basic computer skills in the UK when possible |
| B．get to know as many teachers as possible in the UK |
| C．do much research before choosing a college major |
| D．borrow certain books before going abroad to study. |
Unistats is a website that works to help students ________.
| A．select the best university and subject |
| B．meet other teenage students online |
| C．study further after finishing a course |
| D．compare colleges at home and abroad |
What’s the author’s purpose in writing this passage?
| A．To give information about higher education in the UK. |
| B．To describe the types of universities across the UK. |
| C．To introduce the UK education system to students. |
| D．To attract international students to study in the UK. |
A woman was waiting at an airport one night, with several long hours before her flight. She bought a book and a bag of cookies in the airport shop, and found a place to drop.
She was interested in her book, but the man sitting beside her grabbed a cookie or two from the bag in between, which she tried to ignore to avoid an argument.
So she ate the cookies noisily and watched the clock, as the cookie thief diminished (使……变少) her stock. She was getting angrier as the minutes passed, thinking,“Oh, brother, if I wasn’t so nice, I would blacken your eyes.”
With each cookie she took, he took one, too. When only one was left, she wondered what he would do. With a smile on his face, he took the last cookie and broke it in half. He offered her half, and he ate the other. She got it from him and thought, “ This guy has some nerve (胆量) and he’s also rude. Why didn’t he even show any gratitude?”
She had never known when she had been so angry. She gathered her bag and headed for the gate, refusing to look back at the thieving ingrate (忘恩负义者).
She boarded the plane and then she sought her book, which was almost complete. As she reached in her bag, she was shocked— there was her bag of cookies. “If mine are here,” she thought, “the others were his. It’s too late to apologize.”Why did the woman ignore it when she found the man eating the cookies?
| A．She didn’t want to get into an argument. |
| B．She was full of pity for the man. |
| C．The man was dangerous and brave. |
| D．She was too careless to notice it. |
When offered her half of the last cookie, the woman______.
| A．felt a bit disappointed. |
| B．felt deeply thankful. |
| C．considered the man unthankful. |
| D．saw the man as his brave brother. |
We can infer that the man________.
| A．might have returned the bag of cookies secretly. |
| B．tried to share his cookies with the woman. |
| C．was thankful for the woman’s kindness. |
| D．was really a thief. |