Recently a Beijing father sent in a question at an Internet forum (论坛) asking what "PK" meant. "My family has been watching the 'Super Girl' singing competition TV program . My little daughter asked me what 'PK' meant, but I had no idea," explained the puzzled father.
To a lot of Chinese young people who have been playing games online, it is impossible not to know this term. In such Internet games, "PK" is short for "Player Kill", in which two players fight until one ends the life of the other.
In the case of the "Super Girl" singing competition, "PK" was used to refer to the stage where two singers have to compete with each other for only one chance to go up in competition ranking.
Like this father, Chinese teachers at high schools have also been finding their students' compositions using Internet jargons (行话) which are difficult to understand. A high school teacher from Tianjin asked her students to write compositions with simple language, but they came up with a lot of Internet jargons that she didn't understand.
"My 'GG' came back this summer from college. He told me I've grown up to be a 'PLMM'. I loved to 'FB' with him together; he always took me to the 'KPM'," went one composition.
"GG" means Ge Ge (Chinese pinyin for brother). "PLMM" refers to Piao Liang Mei Mei (beautiful girl). "FB" means Fu Bai (corruption). "KPM" is short for KFC, Pizza Hut and McDonald's.
Some specialists welcome Internet jargons as a new development in language.
If you do not even know what a Kong Long (dinosaur, referring to an ugly looking female) or a Qing Wa (frog, referring to an ugly looking male) is, you will possibly be regarded as a Cai Niao! By writing the article, the writer tries to ________ .
| A．explain some Internet language |
| B．suggest common Internet language |
| C．laugh at the Beijing father |
| D．draw our attention to Internet language |
What does the writer think about the term "PK"?
| A．Fathers can't possibly know it. |
| B．The daughter should understand it. |
| C．Online game players may know it. |
| D．"Super Girl" shouldn't have used it. |
The examples of the Beijing father and the Tianjin teacher are used to show that Internet jargons ________ .
| A．are used not only online |
| B．can be understood very well |
| C．are welcomed by all the people |
| D．cause trouble to our mother tongue |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．A puzzled father |
| B．Do you speak Internet-ish? |
| C．Keep away from Internet-ish |
| D．Kong Long or Qing Wa? |
Why do Chinese people love hot pot so much? As the winter months begin to settle in, I find myself wondering what it is about this traditional meal, which has existed for more than 1，000 years, that makes it a Chinese food favorite．But it seems that the answer lies beyond the dish itself．
Hot pot isn't just designed to keep you warm during the cold months; it's also a social experience．It's a "theater” cuisine that turns a meal into an event．There is a lot of fun for everyone to have in adding ingredients to the hot pot．
Hot pot is eaten over two to three hours．For this reason, it is often, considered an evening's entertainment, and time to spend with friends and family．However, many westerners would be put off by the idea of other people sticking chopsticks in their food．When we come to eat at the table in the UK, we tend to have our own individual portions （份额）, although the experience is still a social one．
A similar experience to the hot pot one can be found in Korean barbecue restaurants, which let you cook your own meat．This allows people to have their meat done however they want．
For most Westerners, the idea of going to a restaurant to cook their own food is bizarre （古怪的）．But having given hot pot a go, I find it's now one of my favorite meals in Beijing．The steam from the pot left my clothes smelling of food when I got home, but perhaps this is also part of the experience．When the chilly （刺骨的） wind is blowing outside, just grab （抓） some chopsticks, some good friends, and dig in．For me it's like throwing a dinner party where my taste buds （味蕾） and my appetite are equally satisfied in the warm company of friends．According to the author, hot pot is popular in China because ________．
| A．it is a fun social experience |
| B．it has been developing for over 1,000 years |
| C．it involves many unique ingredients |
| D．it keeps people warm in winter and it is creative |
We can conclude from the article that generally British people _______.
| A．prefer a Korean barbecue to Chinese hot pot |
| B．find it interesting to cook their own food in restaurants |
| C．don't like sharing food with others |
| D．don't mind the smell of food staying on their clothes after dinner |
The underlined word "put off" in the third paragraph probably means _____
| A．excited | B．disappointed | C．puzzled | D．discouraged |
What is the tone of the article?
| A．Appreciative | B．Longing | C．Humorous． | D．Serious． |
In some urban centers, workaholism is so common that people do not consider it unusual．They accept the lifestyle as normal．Government workers in Washington D．C．, for example, frequently work sixty to seventy hours a week．They do this because they have to; they do it because they want to．
Workaholism can be a serious problem．Because true workaholics would rather work than do anything else, they probably don't know
how to relax; that is, they might not enjoy movies, sports, or other
types of entertainment．Most of all, they hate to sit and do nothing．The lives of workaholics are usually stressful, and this tension and worry can cause health problems such as heart attacks or stomach ulcers．In addition, typical workaholics don't pay much attention to their
families．They spend little time with their children, and their marriages may end in divorce．
Is workaholism always dangerous? Perhaps not．There are, certainly, people who work well under stress．Some studies show that many workaholics have great energy and interest in life．Their work is so pleasurable that they are actually very happy．For most workaholics, work and entertainment are the same thing．Their jobs provide them with a challenge; this keeps them busy and creative．
Why do workaholics enjoy their jobs so much? There are several advantages to work．It provides people with paychecks, and this is important．But it offers more than financial security It provides people with self-confidence; they have a feeling of satisfaction when they have produced a challenging piece of work and are able to say," I made that．" Psychologists claim that work gives people an identity; by working, they get a sense of self and individualism．In addition, most jobs provide people with a socially acceptable way to meet others．A workaholic is a person who____．
| A．tends to work long hours |
| B．behaves in a strange way |
| C．has to do many social jobs |
| D．holds high social positions |
What can be the problem of workaholism?
| A．Being late． |
| B．Being lazy． |
| C．Being hopeless． |
| D．Being unhealthy． |
According to some studies, most workaholics .
| A．live a hard life |
| B．regard work as something enjoyable |
| C．like to be under stress |
| D．are good at both work and entertainment |
What are the advantages one can get by working according to the text?
a． popularity b． satisfaction c． good payment
d． self-confidence e． higher positions f． social acceptation
| A．a; b; d; e | B．b; c; e; f | C．a; c; d; f | D．b; c; d; f |
The world's native languages are dying out at an unprecedented(空前的) rate, taking with them irreplaceable(不能替代的) knowledge about the natural world, according to a new study.
The study identified five global "hot spots" where languages are vanishing faster than anywhere else ---- eastern Siberia, northern Australia, central South America, the US state of Oklahoma and the US Pacific Northwest. "Languages are suffering a global extinction crisis that greatly goes beyond the pace of species extinction," linguistics(语言学的) professor David Harrison noted, who said half of the world's 7,000 languages were expected to disappear before the end of the century.
Native people had an intimate(详尽的) knowledge of their environment that was lost when their language disappeared, along with other certain things often unfamiliar to us, Harrison stressed. "Most of what we know about species and ecosystems is not written down anywhere, it's only in people's heads," he said. "We are seeing in front of our eyes the loss of the human knowledge base."
Harrison was one of a team of linguists who carried out the study. The researchers traveled to Australia this year to study native languages, some of the most endangered. According to Harrison, in Australia, they were heartened to see a woman in her 80s who was one of the only three remaining speakers of the Yawuru language passing on her knowledge to schoolchildren. He said such inter-generational exchanges were the only way native languages could survive. "The children had elected to take this course, no one forced them," he said. "When we asked them why they were learning it, they said,‘This is a dying language, we need to learn it'." Also, while there they found a man with knowledge of the Amurdag language, which had previously been thought extinct.
The researchers said all five of the hot spots identified were areas that had been successfully colonized and where a dominant language such as Spanish or English was threatening native tongues.What does this text mainly talk about?
| A．A study on native languages endangered. |
| B．The knowledge of native languages. |
| C．People's efforts in saving native languages |
| D．Harrison and his study on languages. |
According to Harrison, language extinction.
| A．causes the researchers lots of worries |
| B．speeds up the pace of species extinction |
| C．threatens the existing of Spanish and English |
| D．brings about a loss of knowledge about the environment |
Which of the following can be described as good news?
| A．Native languages became less endangered in Australia. |
| B．A man was found with knowledge of the Amurdag language. |
| C．Researchers were well received by native people in Australia. |
| D．Many schoolchildren showed interest in the Yawuru language. |
We're one of the biggest ESL professional organizations in Shanghai, China and we have 10 primary schools, 2 middle schools, and 5 kindergartens in Shanghai and 1in Suzhou. For these schools, we only need oral English teachers.
We also own an international school whose name is Shanghai World Foreign Language Primary and Middle School. For this school, we need classroom teachers and subject teachers to teach Science, PE, and Music in English.
We prefer to hire experienced teachers with TESOL or Teacher's Certificate. If you want to know more about us, please visit our website at http://www.shyulun.com/.
●Dates and Durations
We need 1 teacher for every position as below:
1. Classroom Teacher Position in Shanghai World Foreign Language Primary School (From 17th Feb 2009, 12 months)
2. Subject Teacher Position in Shanghai World Foreign Language Middle School (From 1st Sep 2009, 10 months)
3. Oral English teachers in Shanghai Changning Experimental Primary School (From 3rd March 2009, 3 months)
●Basic requirements for the Positions
1. Native English speakers for all of the above positions
2. Bachelor Degree at least (Position 1 and 2) with related teaching experience
3. TESOL or related certificate (Position 3)
●Working Conditions and Environment
The schools are the top schools in Shanghai with libraries and public computer rooms. Every teacher will have the office desk, free access to the Internet. We provide teaching materials and teaching guidelines.
●Salary, International Travel Allowance and Bonus
The salary ranges from 6,000 RMB to 10,000 RMB per month according to the position you apply for, which can ensure you have a comfortable life in Shanghai.
We will offer you part or full international travel allowances depending on how long you will work for us. Generally, we will pay you a return ticket for one year contract.The ESL professional organization in Shanghai wants to take on.
| A．some language teachers to work in Shanghai |
| B．some native English teachers to work in Suzhou |
| C．some language teachers to work in Suzhou |
| D．some native English teachers to work in Shanghai |
Those who are going to work for the organization will.
| A．prepare teaching materials themselves |
| B．get at least $6,000 a month |
| C．get international travel allowances |
| D．buy their return tickets themselves |
If you want to be hired as a classroom teacher by the above organization, you should .
| A．speak several languages |
| B．have Bachelor Degree |
| C．present good teaching plans |
| D．know how to teach middle school students |
The passage is probably taken from a.
| A．novel | B．travel guide | C．news report | D．website |
Family traditions were important in our house, and none was more appreciated than the perfect Christmas tree.
"Dad, can we watch when you trim(修剪) the tree?" My eldest son, Dan, nine, and his seven-year-old brother John, asked.
"I won't be cutting this year," my husband Bob said. "Dan, you and John are old enough to measure things. Do it all by yourselves. Think you boys can handle it?"
Dan and John seemed to grow six inches in their chairs at the thought of such an amazing responsibility. "We can handle it," Dan promised. "We won't let you down."
A few days before Christmas, Dan and John rushed in after school. They gathered the tools they'd need and brought them out to the yard, where the tree waited. I was cooking when I heard the happy sounds as the boys carried the tree into the living room. Then I heard the sound that every mother knows is trouble: dead silence. I hurried out to them. The tree was cut too short. John crossed his arms tight across his chest. His eyes filled with angry tears.
I felt worried. The tree was central to our holiday. I didn't want the boys to feel ashamed every time they looked at it. I couldn't lower the ceiling, and I couldn't raise the floor either. There was no way to undo the damage done. Suddenly, a thought came to my mind, which turned the problem into the solution.
"We can't make the tree taller," I said. "But we can put it on a higher position."
Dan nodded his head sideways. "We could put it on the coffee table. It just might work! Let's try it!"
When Bob got home and looked at the big tree on top of the coffee table, Dan and John held their breath.
"What a good idea!" he declared. "Why didn't I ever think of such a thing?"
John broke into a grin. Dan's chest swelled with pride. The underlined part "grow six inches" (Para. 4) implies the brothers felt.
| A．proud | B．nervous | C．embarrassed | D．scared |
What happened after the brothers moved the Christmas tree into the living room?
| A．They rushed to school. |
| B．They began to decorate the tree. |
| C．They got angry with each other. |
| D．They found the tree was cut short. |
How could the short tree be turned into a perfect one?
| A．By making the tree taller. |
| B．By lowering the ceiling. |
| C．By placing it on a coffee table. |
| D．By raising the floor. |
What Bob said in the last but one paragraph (the underlined part)showed.
| A．he was a little disappointed |
| B．he was too stupid to think of the idea |
| C．he appreciated what the brothers had done |
| D．he should not have given them the task |