One is not born able to speak a language. One is born able to make a noise. I have heard babies cry in America and in China. I can’t tell any difference. But when I hear someone from America speak English and hear someone speak Chinese, I can tell you there are a lot of differences.
I believe a common(普遍的) problem with Chinese students’ learning English is that they were not taught to think in English. They have an idea spoken in English and want to translate the idea into Chinese, then they think in Chinese of the proper reply and translate it into English. After a long period of speaking the language, one begins to think in the foreign language naturally. You will learn faster if you begin to think in English at the very beginning of your study. Many students ask me: What can I do to improve my spoken English?
My reply is: The more English you speak, the better English you will speak. There are many things you can do to improve your spoken English. Of course, the best way is to live where English is spoken as a language of the country.The cries of American and Chinese babies are _______.
A.different | B.the same |
C.not like each other | D.like each other |
The underlined sentence (in Paragraph 2) means that______.
A.some teachers didn’t teach students to think in English |
B.teachers never gave the students the way of learning English |
C.students didn’t remember the way teachers taught them |
D.teachers didn’t want their students to think in English |
The underlined word “they” (in Paragraph 2) refers to “_____”.
A.Chinese students | B.English students |
C.Chinese teachers | D.English teachers |
According to the article, which of the following is TRUE?
A.You must think in English all the time. |
B.You should always translate English into Chinese. |
C.After speaking English for a long time, you may probably think in English naturally(自然地). |
D.The best way of learning English is to live in America. |
John H. Johnson was born in a black family in Arkansas city in 1918. His father died in an accident when John was six. He was reaching the high school age, but his hometown offered no high school for blacks.
Fortunately he had a strong-willed (意志坚强的) caring mother. John remembered that his mother told him many times, “Son, you can be anything you want really to be if you just believe.”She told him not to depend on others, including his mother. “You have to earn success, ”she said. “All the people who work hard don’t succeed, but the only people who do succeed are those who work hard.”
These words came from a woman with less than a third grade education. She also knew that believing and hard work don’t mean everything. So she worked hard as a cook for two years to save enough to take her son, who was then 15, to Chicago.
Chicago in 1933 was not the promised land that black southerners were looking for. John’s mother and stepfather could not find work. But here John could go to school, and here he learned the power of words—as an editor of the newspaper and yearbook at Du Sable High School His wish was to publish a magazine for blacks.
While others discouraged him, John’s mother offered him more words to live by.“Nothing beats a failure but a try. ”She also let him pawn(典当)her furniture to get the $ 500 he needed to start the Negro magazine.
It is natural that difficulties and failures followed John closely until he became very successful. He always keeps his mother’s words in mind.“Son, failure is not in your vocabulary!”
Now John H. Johnson is one of the 400 richest people in America—worth $ 150 million.John’s mother decided to move to Chicago because _____.
A.his father died when John was very young |
B.life was too hard for them to stay on in their hometown |
C.John needed more education badly |
D.there were no schools for Negroes in their hometown |
John’s mother_____________________
A.didn’t believe in or depend on others |
B.thought one could be whatever one wanted to be |
C.believed one would succeed without working hard |
D.thought no one could succeed without working hard |
The underlined sentence“Nothing beats a failure but a try. ”means _____.
A.if you try, you would succeed |
B.a failure is difficult to beat, even if you try |
C.a try is always followed by a failure |
D.no failure can be beaten unless you try |
The story mainly tells us _____.
A.how John H. Johnson became successful |
B.about the mental (心理的) support John’s mother gave him |
C.about the importance of a good education |
D.about the key to success for blacks |
Making friends is a skill like most skills. It improves with practice. If you want to meet people and make friends, you must be willing to take some action. You must first go where there are people. You won’t make friends staying home alone.
Joining a club or a group, talking with those who like the same things as you do is much easier. Or join someone in some activity.
Many people are nervous when talking to new people. After all meeting strangers means facing the unknown. And it’s human nature to feel a bit uncomfortable about unknown. Most of our fears about dealing with new people comes from doubts about ourselves. We imagine other people are judging us, finding us too tall or too short, too this or too that. But don’t forget that they must be feeling the same way. Try to accept yourself as you are, and try to put the other person at ease. You’ll both feel more comfortable.
Try to act self-confident even if you don’t feel that way. When you enter a room full of strangers, such as a new classroom, walk tall and straight, look directly at other people and smile.
If you see someone you’d like to speak to, say something. Don’t wait for the other person to start a conversation.
Just meeting someone new does not mean that you will make friends with that person—friendship is based on mutual liking and “give and take”. It takes time and effort to develop.The best topic of the passage may be ________.
A.Friendship | B.Making friends | C.Meeting New People | D.Facing the Unknown |
Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?
A.Making friends needs practicing. |
B.Making friends needs to be more active in getting in touch with people. |
C.When meeting someone, make him feel nice and easy. |
D.Before making friends with someone, judge him if he’s too this or too that. |
The development of friendship needs ________.
A.a lot of money | B.lots of conversation |
C.time and effort | D.carefully judging |
Ever tried taking smart drugs to perform better in exams? They certainly work. Before last summer's exam, a few of my mates, merely out of curiosity, took a considerable amount of Modafinil, a drug normally used for narcolepsy(嗜眠发作症). Guess what? While I was feeling sleepy, bored by revision, my mates were more focused.
Modafinil is a smart drug that gives a user a feeling of staying awake for hours. It also sharpens the mind, improves memory and helps problem-solving.
But it does more than just keeping you awake. It disturbs your mental system, making you desperate to do what you are doing. You just don't want to do anything else but revise all the time non-stop.
A recent study discovers that healthy people use smart drugs, like Modafinil, to get down to and complete tasks they have been putting off, because these tasks seem more enjoyable when taking these drugs. This might sound like what a stressed student desires. However, the pills have a range of side-effects.
"At present no evidence shows that these drugs are safe in healthy people," as a medical expert puts it, "Ordering online, though easy, is a dangerous way to obtain drugs. You never know what you're actually purchasing. "
In my experience, Modafinil changes people's behaviour too. Over those weeks my friends became different people—in turn aggressive, cold. Even eating became "a waste of time" and so did conversation.
A BBC survey found that of those who had tried smart drugs before, 92% would do so again. My friends say they'd happily do so without considering the practice a form of cheating.
I admit I was curious—but not enough to try it. Seeing the strange behaviour of other users, I feel a little bit upset and scary. Modafinil may promise to change your grades, but it might also change the way you act. Don't say you haven't been warned!According to the author, his mates took Modafinil for the purpose of______.
A.escaping from reality | B.getting better exam results |
C.curing their narcolepsy | D.leading an active life |
Taking the smart drug can lead to ______.
A.cheating in the exam | B.dropping out of school |
C.youth crime(犯罪) | D.drug addiction(上瘾) |
What does the author think of his mates' taking the smart drugs?
A.Worrying. | B.Inspiring. |
C.Acceptable. | D.Reasonable. |
Which statement about Modafinil is wrong?
A.Modafinil sharpens the mind and helps problem-solving. |
B.Modafinil more than just keeps you awake. |
C.Modafinil has a range of side effects. |
D.Modafinil is safe in healthy people. |
Who are the target readers of this passage?
A.Teachers. | B.Doctors. | C.Scientists. | D.Students. |
Humankind has tried to improve its standard of living since the very beginning of civilization. Back then, as well as today, providing food and security was the basic task for a person. However, nowadays the range of required goods has expanded significantly. People feel the need for not only some primary things, such as a piece of bread and a roof over their heads, but also for various facilities and luxuries. Providing humanity with these things is connected to the use of natural resources, which requires energy. In turn, the common sources of energy we use today cause pollution, so economic growth is almost inevitably associated with environmental damage.
Economic growth is the increase in numbers of goods and services produced over time by an economy, and it's calculated in terms of real Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Before growth is calculated, inflation(通货膨胀) is adjusted in order to take into account its misleading effect on the price of goods and services. Economic growth can also be explained as the increase in expected output, which results from an increase in actual output, or total demand.
There are certain aspects of economic growth which affect the environment. The first of these is the fact that in order to produce more goods and products, at a faster rate, the construction of large industrial plants is required. These plants produce a lot of waste, leading to the pollution of water and the atmosphere, which may cause negative long- term health effects to nearby populations of animals, or people. They also lead to global warming.
Industrial manufacturing leads to the constantly increasing energy consumption. The traditional energy sources, which are commonly used nowadays, are considered to be the greatest polluters to the environment. There also exist so-called eco-friendly sources of energy. They are sometimes preferred but replacing the traditional sources with them also requires time, during which people have to make some sacrifices to support these undertakings.
In order to produce economically practical energy, a sometimes significant transformation of the natural site is often inevitable. This is expensive and, has harmful effects on the environment. Application of wind energy would Block airflows' natural speed, which is the reason for their decrease in strength, after crossing the windmill. Consequently, the pressure balance that is brought about by this current will be affected, and it is important to remember that the environment and weather conditions are directly affected by atmospheric pressure.
For these reasons, bringing about economic growth without resulting in any environmental damage is impossible.What does the passage mainly talk about?
A.Pollution caused by plant construction |
B.Effects of windmills on the environment |
C.Economic growth and human civilization |
D.Economic growth and environmental damage |
According to the passage, the author holds the opinion that ____.
A.economic growth should be calculated in terms of GDP |
B.use of natural resources causes no damage to the environment |
C.industrial manufacturing may cause damage to the environment |
D.a windmill is a perfect way to produce economically practical energy |
Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
CP (Central Point) P (Point) Sp (Sub-point次要点) C (Conclusion)
Froli Cat Dart![]() While cats require less attention compared to dogs, that doesn’t mean you can just leave them at home all day long. No sir, they too, need some level of attention and will have to keep themselves occupied mentally and physically too. Well, FroliCat Dart makes it possible. Just what is the FroliCat Dart all about? Well, for starters, this device delivers 360° rotation (旋转) that will project laser patterns on the floor, letting your feline (猫科动物) friend chase after it. |
Portable USB Power Supply![]() With modern gadgets, running out of juice happens to some of us more often, simply because today’s devices seem to suck up more juice than before. That’s why the Portable USB Power Supply comes in handy, being a best emergency charger for cell phones and other devices. Capable of holding a charge for up to three months when in standby, it will ship with adapter tips that cater for a certain variety of cell phone brands. |
Battery Powered Gloves![]() For those living in the northern hemisphere(半球),we are pretty sure that you have already stocked up on your winter supplies to make sure you remain nice and warm throughout the upcoming freezing months. Well, wearing a pair of the Battery Powered Hand Warming Gloves is necessary so as to keep your palms and fingers warm. These gloves come with battery-powered integral (不可缺的) heating elements which is capable of keeping your hands nice and warm for up to eight hours. It requires a quartet of AA batteries in each glove, and since both gloves are fully lined with a waterproof, breathable material, they might just come in handy during your next snowball fight. Too bad it comes only in one color—black. |
How does FroliCat Dart work?
A.It can make cats run around your house. |
B.It can project laser patterns to make cats chase. |
C.It can make cats much sleepier than before. |
D.It can provide food and drink for cats. |
From the second paragraph, we know that________
A.Lack of power happens to some of us less often than before. |
B.The adapter tips cater for all kinds of cell phone brands. |
C.The Portable USB Power Supply can charge for some phones. |
D.The Portable USB Power Supply can only last for three months. |
Where do the Battery Powered Gloves sell well?
A. Iceland B. IndiaC. Australia D Singapore