Book1ElixirwrittenbyEricWalter-优题课

What is language for? Some people seem to think it's for practising grammar rules and learning lists of words—the longer the lists，the better. That's wrong. Language is for the exchange（交流）of ideas and information. It's meaningless knowing all about a language if you can't use it freely. Many students I have met know hundreds of grammar rules, but they can't speak correctly or fluently（流利地）. They are afraid of making mistakes. One shouldn't be afraid of making mistakes when speaking a foreign language. Native speakers make mistakes and break rules, too. Bernard Shaw once wrote, "Foreigners often speak English too correctly. "But the mistakes that native speakers make are different from those that Chinese students make. They're English mistakes in the English language. And if enough native speakers break a rule, it is no longer a rule. What used to be wrong becomes right. People not only make history, they make language. But a people can only make its own language. It can't make another people's language. So Chinese students of English should pay attention to grammar, but they shouldn't overdo（做过头）it. They should put communication（交际）first.　
1．Language is used to ________.
A. express oneself　　　 B. practice grammar rules
C. talk with foreigners only D. learn lists of words
2．Generally, when an American or an Englishman speaks English, he ________.
A. never makes mistakes　　 B. often makes mistakes
C. can't avoid making mistakes D. always makes mistakes
3．"Foreigners often speak English too correctly. "This sentence means that ________.
A. foreigners speak correct English
B. foreigners speak incorrect English
C. foreigners speak English according to the grammar rules
D. foreigners never make mistakes when they speak English
4．If too many native speakers break a rule, ________.
A. what they use will become right B. they are against the law
C. they should say sorry to others D. they will become heroes

People believe that climbing can do good to health. Where can you learn the skill of climbing then? If you think that you have to go to the mountains to learn how to climb, you are wrong. Many Americans are learning to climb in city gyms(体育馆). Here, people are learning on special climbing walls. The climbing wall goes straight up and small holding places for hands and feet.
How do people climb the wall? To climb, you need special shoes and a harness(保护带) around your chest to hold you. There are ropes tied to your harness. The ropes hold you in place so that you don’t fall. A beginner’s wall is usually about 15 feet high, and you climb straight up. There are small pieces of metal that stick out for you to stand on and hold on to. Sometimes it’s easy to see the next piece of metal. Sometimes, it’s not. The most difficult part is to control your fear. It’s normal for humans to be afraid of falling, so it’s difficult not to feel fear. But when you move away from the wall, the harness and the ropes hold you, and you begin to feel safe. You move slowly until you reach the top.
Climbing attracts people because it’s good exercise for almost everyone. You use your whole body, especially your arms and legs. This sport gives your body a complete workout. When you climb your mind and your body can become stronger.
1. What can we infer from the passage?
A. People are fairly interested in climbing nowadays.
B. It is impossible to build up one’s body by climbing.
C. People can only learn the skill of climbing outdoors.
D. It is always easy to see holding places in climbing.
2. The most difficult thing to do in wall climbing is _________.
A. to tie ropes to your harness B. to control your fear
C. to move away from the wall D. to climb straight up
3. The word “workout” underlined in the last paragraph most probably means _______.
A. settlement B. exercise C. excitement D. tiredness
4. Why does the author write this passage?
A. To tell people where to find gyms. B. To prove the basic need for climbing.
C. To encourage people to climb mountains. D. To introduce the sport of wall climbing.

Our cat has a sweet nature, and she can let us know what she wants. When we fail to meet her needs, she gently leads us in the proper direction. When I forget to fill her water bowl early in the morning, she runs after my legs, and then pushes me in the direction of her bowl. She doesn’t get irritated (生气的); instead, she expresses her wishes in the best way. And I always understand what she is telling me.
One day I found myself envying her simple expression. How many times had I expected my husband or my children to know my wants without my ever giving voice to them? How many times had I been disappointed that they couldn’t understand when I needed a hug, a compliment or a chocolate bar?
After a pleasant afternoon with my husband, I wanted to stop somewhere nice and have dinner, but he didn’t understand my hints (暗示). “Couldn’t you see that I wanted to go out to dinner?” I complained when he pulled into our driveway.
“Why didn’t you say so? I can’t read your mind,” he answered in impatience. His words gave me pause. Had I expected him to read my mind? Why hadn’t I expressed my desire more clearly? I realized I had fallen into the female trap of “If you love me, you can read my mind.”
Now, I state my needs clearly and directly. I look at my cat and know she agrees.
1. Why was the author disappointed in her husband or her children?
A. Her husband didn’t give her a hug. B. Her children didn’t give her a chocolate bar.
C. They didn’t give her a compliment. D. They didn’t understand her mind.
2. What will the author do if she wants something from her husband now?
A. She will give him her hints. B. She lets him guess what she wants.
C. She tells him her needs directly. D. She buys what she wants herself.
3. What can we learn from the underlined sentence in the fourth paragraph?
A. I realized what I did was wrong. B. My husband stopped me from saying something.
C. I stopped and didn’t go with my husband. D. My husband prevented me from going on.
4. What would be the best title of the text?
A. How does a cat ask for something? B. Learn how to read your cat’s mind
C. A lesson from a cat D. Guess what others think

第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每题2分）
Bamboo (竹子) is one of nature’s (自然) most surprising plants． Many people call this plant a tree, but it is a kind of grass．
Like other kinds of grass, a bamboo plant may be cut very low to the ground, but it will grow back very quickly． A Japanese scientist reported one bamboo plant which grew 1.5 meters (4 feet) in 24 hours! Bamboo grows almost everywhere in the world except Europe． There are more than 1, 000 kinds of bamboo．
Not all bamboo looks the same． Some bamboo plants are very thin． They may only grow to be a few centimeters wide while others may grow to more than 30 centimeters (1 foot) across． This plant also comes in different colors, from yellow to black to green．
Bamboo has been used to make many things such as hats and kitchen tools(厨房用具)． Because it is strong, bamboo is also used to build buildings．
Many Asian countries have used bamboo for hundreds of years． They often use bamboo for buildings and supporting (支撑) new buildings and bridges while they are being built．
In Africa, poor farmers are taught how to find water using bamboo． These African countries need cheap way to find water because they have no money, and their fields often die from no rain and no water．Bamboo pipes (管子) help poor farmers bring water to their thirsty fields without spending a lot of money．
1．How is bamboo like grass?
A．It grows quickly． B．It’s wood． C．it is easy to cut． D．It is very thin．
2．Though you can see bamboo everywhere, it doesn’t grow．
A．in China B．in Europe C．on mountains D．in Africa
2．Why is bamboo used by African poor farmers? Because．
A．it is cheap B．it has different colors C．it is strong D．it has been used by Asians
3．In Asia, bamboo has been used for．
A．a short time B．many thousands of years
C．many hundreds of years D．about 100 years

BEIJING——China will further open its financial sector in “an active and safe” way, the country’s central bank vowed on Friday.
“China will gradually broaden the chance for the participation of foreign capital in the domestic financial market,” said the People’s Bank of China in a report.“We will strengthen the connections between China’s financial market and international ones by attracting more foreign capital in Renminbi-denominated financial products,” the report said.
Meanwhile, channels will also be expanded to allow Chinese investment in foreign financial markets.
The bank said it would ease restrictions on enterprises and individuals possessing and using foreign currencies and increase the number of qualified foreign institutional investors and the value of their investment quotas(份额). “We will make use of the financial market to achieve balanced international payments,” said the bank.
Last year, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) raised the annual quota for individuals buying foreign currency from US $ 20,000 to US $ 50,000.
“China will work hard for a more efficient and vigorous financial market that can better serve international needs,” the bank said.
The country will adjust its financial market rules so they are accepted around the world, encourage reforms and promote more flexible, diversified ways of trading, according to the bank.
China fully opened its financial market to foreign capital on December 11 last year, ending a five-year transitional (过渡的) period after entering WTO.
1. The passage is_______________
A. a piece of news B. an advertisement
C. a poster D. an explanation
2. China is working hard to_____________
A. reduce the interest rate of foreign currencies
B. increase the interest rate of foreign currencies
C. bring in more foreign investment by promising to further open its financial sector
D. adjust its financial markets to resist the invasion of foreign investment
3. To further open financial sector, China has taken many measures EXCEPT
A. Giving more chances to the participation of foreign capital
B. Strengthening the connections between China and other countries by the leaders’ paying visits to each other’s countries
C. Broadening the quotas of enterprises and individuals possessing and using foreign currencies
D. Opening its domestic financial market step by step
4. We can draw a conclusion that___________
A. China’s financial market will be conquered by foreign one
B. China will create a more active and various way of trading and its market will become stronger
C. China will end the transitional period of opening financial sector in five years
D. China will be blind to the foreign investment

A．Elizabeth Macleod	B．Eric Walters
C．Rocky London & David MacDonald	D．Bev Spencer