British English and American English are almost the same. But there are slight differences between British and American English in vocabulary, pronunciation, spelling and grammar.
The first difference between British and American English is in vocabulary. Almost all of the words used in British English and American English are exactly the same. Only a very small number of words are used disparately. For example, Americans would say “apartment”, but the British would say “flat” to talk about the place where they live. In addition to some common words, many idiomatic（惯用的）expressions are different. In England people might say “I’ll ring you up tonight”, but in the US, people might say “I’ll call you up tonight”.
The second difference between British and American English is in Pronunciation. The main difference in pronunciation concerns the vowels（元音）. Some American dialects and some British dialects use vowels in different ways. Sometimes, Americans and the British don’t understand each other’s pronunciation. But most of the time, the British and Americans do understand each other’s pronunciation because most of the sounds of the two dialects are the same.
The third difference is very small. This is the difference in spelling. A few types of words are spelled differently in British and American English. The most common example is in a word like “center”. In British English, this word would be spelled C-E-N-T-R-E, while in American English the same word would be spelled C-E-N-T-E-R. Another example is “or” vs “our”. The word “color”is spelled C-O-L-O-U-R in Britain but C-O-L-O-R in the US.
There are a few differences in grammar, too. The British may say “Have you got..?” while Americans prefer “Do you have..?” An American might say “my friend just arrived”, but a British would say “my friend has just arrived”. Sometimes function words are used differently: the British may say “at the weekend”, but Americans would say “on the weekend”.What is this passage mainly about?
| A．The development of American English |
| B．Differences between British and American English |
| C．The influences of British English on American English |
| D．The causes of the differences between British and American English |
What does the underlined word “disparately” in Paragraph 2 mean?
| A．Frequently | B．Regularly | C．Eventually | D．Differently |
According to Paragraph 3, Americans and the British may find it hard to understand each other because of .
| A．the different ways of using vowels |
| B．the different idiomatic expressions they use |
| C．the differences in grammar |
| D．the differences in spelling |
Which of the following words probably belong to the American English vocabulary?
a. flavour b. theater c. humor d. centre e. kilometer f. honour g. color
| A．abce | B．bcde | C．bceg | D．defg |
Which of the following sentences is most probably used by Americans?
| A．I’ll learn with you at the weekend |
| B．Have you got a dictionary? |
| C．I’ll ring her up tonight. |
| D．Do you have a pen? |
One of our biggest fears nowadays is that our kids might some day get lost in a “sea of technology” rather than experiencing the natural world. Fear-producing TV and computer games are leading to a serious disconnect between kids and the great outdoors, which will change the wild places of the world, its creatures and human health for the worse, unless adults get working on child’s play.
Each of us has a place in nature we go sometimes, even if it was torn down. We cannot be the last generation to have that place. At this rate, kids who miss the sense of wonder outdoors will not grow up to be protectors of natural landscapes. “If the decline in parks use continues across North America, who will defend parks against encroachment（蚕食）?” asks Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods.
Without having a nature experience, kids can turn out just fine, but they are missing out a huge enrichment of their lives. That applies to everything from their physical health and mental health, to stress levels, creativity and cognitive（认知的）skills. Experts predict modern kids will have poorer health than their parents—and they say a lack of outside play is surely part of it; research suggests that kids do better academically in schools with a nature component and that play in nature fosters（培养）leadership by the smartest, not by the toughest. Even a tiny outdoor experience can create wonder in a child. The three-year-old turning over his first rock realizes he is not alone in the world. A clump of trees on the roadside can be the whole universe in his eyes. We really need to value that more.
Kids are not to blame. They are over-protected and frightened. It is dangerous out there from time to time, but repetitive stress from computers is replacing breaking an arm as a childhood rite （仪式）of passage.
Everyone from developers, to schools and outdoorsy citizens, should help regain for our kids some of the freedom and joy of exploring, taking friendship in fields and woods that cement（增强）love, respect and need for landscape. As parents, we should devote some of our energies to taking our kids into nature. This could yet be our greatest cause.The main idea of Paragraph 2 is that _________.
| A．kids are missing the sense of wonder outdoors |
| B．parks are in danger of being gradually encroached |
| C．Richard Louv is the author of Last Child in the Woods |
| D．children are expected to develop into protectors of nature |
According to the passage, children without experiencing nature will _________.
| A．keep a high sense of wonder |
| B．be over-protected by their parents |
| C．be less healthy both physically and mentally |
| D．change wild places and creatures for the better |
According to the author, children’s breaking an arm is _________.
| A．the fault on the part of their parents |
| B．the natural experience in their growing up |
| C．the result of their own carelessness in play |
| D．the effect of their repetitive stress from computers |
In writing this passage, the author mainly intends to _________.
| A．blame children for getting lost in computer games |
| B．encourage children to protect parks from encroachment |
| C．show his concern about children’s lack of experience in nature |
| D．inspire children to keep the sense of wonder about things around |
I cry easily. I cried when a boy in the film suffered from an incurable disease. I cried when an athlete brok
e a world record.
One night my wife and I were going to dinner at a friend ' s．As we went towards the house, I noticed a car pulling out from the sidewalk．Just ahead, another car was waiting to back into the parking space．But before he could do so a yellow car came up from behind and sneaked into the space．
While my wife went ahead into our friend' s house, I stepped into the street．
“Hey,” I said, “this parking space belongs to that guy．” I gestured towards the man ahead, who was looking back angrily．At that moment I was feeling pretty manly．
“ Mind your own business!” the driver told me．
“No,” I said．“You don' t understand．That fellow was waiting to back into this space．”
Things quickly heated up, until finally he jumped out of the car．My God, he was extremely large．He grabbed me and shook his rock of a fist at me．I tasted blood．I was terrified．
Almost in a panic, I ran to my friend ' s front door．As a former Marine （海军） , as a man, I felt absolutely embarrassed as my wife and 
friends asked me what had happened．All I could say was that I had had an argument about a parking space．They were sensitive and let it go at that．
Perhaps half an hour later, the doorbell rang．For some reason I was sure that the huge man had returned for me．My blood ran cold．My hostess got up to answe
r it, but I stopped her．I knew I had to face up to my fear．
I opened the door．There he stood．“I came back to apologize,” he said in a low voice．“I am ashamed of myself．The Brooklyn Navy Yard where I've worked for ten years is closing．Today I got laid off．I' m not myself．I hope you’ ll accept my apology．”
I remembered that after I closed the door, I stood there for a few minutes alone with tears in my eyes．What did the author do when a yellow car drove into the parking space?
| A．He beat the driver． |
| B．He blamed the driver． |
| C．He asked the driver to apologize． |
| D．He ran to his friend' s house for help． |
What do we know about the yellow car' s driver?
| A．He was rude and liked fighting． |
| B．He was famous for his bad temper． |
| C．He lost his job and felt terrible that day． |
| D．He tried to get the author' s parking space． |
What does the underlined sentence mean?
| A．I became quite calm． |
| B．I felt extremely frightened． |
| C．I couldn't move with cold． |
| D．I was too angry to say anything． |
What kind of person is the author?
| A．Direct and serious． | B．Humorous and open - minded． |
| C．Honest and ambitious． | D．Warm - hearted and understanding |
Hi guys! I’m Lucy the ladybird and while I’m very much of a lady, I’m not actually a bird but a glowing red bettle(甲虫)with decorative black spots.
I’m a friendly little bug, to be honest, and simply like to be close with my pals as long as they handle me very gently. I don’t bite humans but I do sink my teeth into aphids (蚜虫) which, unlike me, are very harmful to all the plants. I milk the aphids just like people do with cows and I milk them dry of all the sap (汁) they have got from your poor plants. I’m a real gardeners’ friend and love helping out around the place by pollinating (授粉) flowers, tidying up plants’ fallen leaves and helping to turn them into nice rich fertilizer to feed everything both above and below the soil, and naturally, being so attractive to look at, we are perfect living garden decorations.
One thing I can not tolerate 
is all that poisonous pollution from vehicles, garbage burning and other environmentally unfriendly acts that occur in the cities every single minute of the day and night. Pollution of any kind really chokes me to death, so these days, I only live in clean countryside areas, particularly cool ones where it rains and everything grows fresh and green from spring right through to autumn. In winter, when the weather is too cold for me to bear, then I find a nice place to sleep until the snow has gone and I can come back out to play.
Oh! I almost forgot to tell you that although I am not a bird I do have wings and can fly for short distances. So if you pick me up and let me run up and down your hands and arms, then please don’t frighten me by screaming if I suddenly decide to take off!What makes Lucy the Ladybird suffer most?
| A．Heavy rains. | B．Cold weather. |
| C．Air pollution. | D．Aphids. |
Which aspects about the ladybird are talked about in the passage?
a. its appearance b. its influence on plantsw8G
c. its habitat d. its food
e. the origin of its name
| A．a; c | B．a; b; c | C．a; b; d; e | D．a; b; c; d |
What do we know about the ladybird?
| A．It belongs to the insect family. |
| B．It does harm to all growing plants. |
| C．It lives on the liquid of plants. |
| D．It can fly a long distance. |
This passage is probably _______.
| A．a self –introduction by a lady named Lucy |
| B．description of a ladybird’life |
| C．letter of praise for a gardener |
D．a speech made by a woman on ladybirds |
The Rolls Royce logo(标志)consisting of the two Rs clearly stands for Rolls and Royce, the two founders of this manufacturing company.In 1884 Frederick Henry Royce started an electrical and mechanical business. He made his first car, a “Royce”, in his Manchester factory in 1904.
He was introduced to Charles Stewart Rolls in a Manchester hotel on May 4 that year, and the pair agreed a deal where Royce would manufacture cars, to be sold by Rolls. A clause(条款) was added to the contract, saying the cars would be called “Rolls Royce”.
The current Toyota logo consists of three ovals: the two perpendicular(成直角的)ovals represent a relationship of trust between the customer and Toyota. These ovals combine to symbolize the letter “T” for Toyota. The space in the background implies a global expansion of Toyota’s technology and unlimited potential for the future.
The Hyundai Motor Company (HMC) is a South Korean company manufacturing automobiles. Their automobiles are available in many countries around the globe. In 2003 it was South Korea’s largest car maker and the world’s seventh largest car maker. The Hyundai logo appears to be an H (symbolizing Hyundai). The oval shape indicates the company’s global expansion and the ‘H’ is symbolic of two people (especially the company and customer) shaking hands.
The Mercedes-Benz logo represents one of the most famous brands in the world. The Benz logo is a three-pointed star that represents its domination of the land, the sea, and the air. The famous three-pointed star was designed by Gottlieb Daimler to show the ability of his motors for land, air and sea usage. It was first seen on a Daimler in 1909, and was combined with the Benz laurel wreath in 1926 to symbolize the union of the two firms. Mercedes-Benz is one of the world’s oldest automobile manufacturers. Which company’s logo is a symbol of two people shaking hands?
| A．Rolls Royce’s | B．Toyota’s | C．Hyundai’s | D．Mercedes-Benzs. |
According to the text, _______.
| A．Rolls Royce was founded in 1884. |
| B．Toyota is having difficulty expanding its technology |
| C．Hyundai has the same long history as Mercedes-Benz |
| D．Mercedes-Benz originally produced motors |
Which company’s logo stands for both the manufacturer and the seller?
| A．Rolls Royce’s | B．Toyota’s | C．Hyundai’s | D．Mercedes-Benz’s |
We can learn from the text that_____.
| A．the ovals in the logos have the same meaning |
| B．Hyundai is SouthKorea’sseventh largest car maker |
| C．the three-pointed star of the Mercedes-Benz logo was first seen in 1926 |
| D．the Mercedes-Benz logo is a symbol of the combination of two companies |
For a while, my neighborhood was taken over by an army of joggers．(慢跑者). They were there all the time—early morning, noon, and evening. There were little old ladies in gray sweats, young couples in Adidas shoes, middle-aged men with red faces. “Come on!” My friend Alex encouraged me to join him as he jogged by my house every evening. “You'll feel great.”
Well, I had nothing against feeling great and if Alex could jog every day, anyone could. So I took up jogging seriously and gave it a good two months of my life, and not a day
more. Based on my experience, jogging is the most overvalued form of exe
rcise around, and judging from the number of the people who left our neighborhood jogging army. I'm not alone in my opinion.
First of all, jogging is very hard on the body. Your legs and feet a real pounding (沉重的脚步) running down a road for two or three miles. I developed foot, leg, and back problems. Then I read about a nationally famous jogger who died of a heart attack while jogging, and I had something else to worry about. Jogging doesn't kill hundreds of people, but if you have any physical weaknesses, jogging will surely bring them out, as they did with me.
Secondly, I got no enjoyment out of jogging. Putting one foot in front of the other for forty-five minutes isn't my idea of fun. Jogging is also a lonely pastime. Some joggers say, “I love being out there with just my thoughts.” Well, my thoughts began to bore me, and most of them were on how much my legs hurt.
And how could I enjoy something that brought me pain? And that wasn't just
the first week: it was practically every day for two months. I never got past the pain level, and pain isn't fun. What a cruel way to do it! So many other exercises, including walking, lead to almost the same results painlessly, so why jog?
I don't jog any more, and I don't think I ever will. I'm walking two miles three times a week at a fast pace, and that feels good. I bicycle to work when the weather is good. I'm getting exercise, and I'm enjoying it at the same time. I could never say the same for jogging, and I've found a lot of better ways to stay in shape.From the first paragraph, we learn that in the writer's neighborhood ________.
| A．jogging became very popular |
| B．many people were encouraged to jog |
| C．Alex organized an army of joggers |
| D．jogging provided a chance to get together |
The underlined word “them”(Paragraph 3) most probably refers to ________.
| A．heart attacks | B．Back problems |
| C．hundreds of people | D．physical weaknesses |
From the author's experience, we can conclude that ________.
| A．jogging can help people keep fit |
| B．many physical problems result from jogging |
| C．not everyone enjoys jogging |
| D．jogging makes people feel great |