If you want to become a fluent English speaker you should take some advice: There are four skills in learning English. They are reading, listening, speaking, and writing. The most important thing you must remember is that if you want to improve your speaking and writing skills you should first master the skills of reading and listening.
Read as much as you can. But your reading must be active. It means that you must think about the meaning of the sentence, the meanings of the unfamiliar words, etc. There is no need for you to pay much attention to grammars or try to understand all the unfamiliar words you come across, but the fact that you see them for the first time and recognize them whenever you see them, for example in other passages or books, is enough. It would be better to prepare yourself a notebook so you can write down the important words or sentences in it.
As for listening, there are two choices: besides reading, you can listen every day for about 30 minutes. You can only pay attention to your reading and become skillful at your reading, then you can catch up on your listening. Since you have lots of inputs in your mind, you can easily guess what the speaker is going to say. This never means that you should not practice listening.
For listening you can listen to cartoons or some movies that are specially made for children. Their languages are easy. Or if you are good at listening you can listen to VOA or BBC programs every day. Again the thing to remember is being active in listening and preferably taking some notes.
If you follow these pieces of advice, your speaking and writing will improve automatically, and you can be sure that with a little effort they will become perfect.According to the author, which should you improve first among the four skills?
| A．Reading and listening. |
| B．Reading and writing. |
| C．Writing and speaking. |
| D．Speaking and listening. |
The underlined phrase “come across” in Paragraph 2 can probably be replaced by“ ”.
| A．meet by accident |
| B．discover |
| C．find on purpose |
| D．look for |
The author seems to agree with the view that .
| A．everyone should listen to VOA or BBC programs every day |
| B．you needn’t practice listening if you keep on reading every day |
| C．being good at reading is helpful in improving your listening |
| D．you should take notes of whatever you are hearing |
The passage is mainly about how to .
| A．choose suitable listening materials |
| B．deal with new words in reading |
| C．improve your English as quickly as possible |
| D．become fluent in speaking and writing English |
Matthew Ames returned to Brisbane from Melbourne at the weekend after experiencing one of many rounds of surgery，becoming Australia’s first bionic（仿生学的）man. Matthew Ames was at home on Monday morning，adjusting to national media attention and life with titanium rods（钦杆）in what remains of his arms and legs．If all goes to plan，later in the year he will have more surgery to fix bionic prosthetics（假肢）．
It all started 15 months ago，when the Origin Energy engineer一who lives with his wife Diane and four children in Camp Hill in Brisbane’s east一began feeling like he was coming down with the“man flu”，A week later he was in hospital，senseless and on life support，which was caused by a deadly form of bacteria．
“He had a. 99％chance of dying，”Matthew’s son Luke，9，said in a program，Sunday Night which drew more than 2．12 million viewers nationally．
Matthew’s younger sons Ben，8，and Will，7，added：“And only 1％of living.”
Proudly Will concluded：“And the 1％ won against the 99．”
Matthew’s families were told Matthew’s only chance of survival was to have his four limbs removed．For Diane，the choice was easy．She could not allow their children to grow up without a father．Eventually，Matthew came to，only to find he had no arms and legs．
On Monday，he is attending a Pride of Australia Medal ceremony for which he has been nominated（被提名）In the courage category．“The 40-year-old is slowly getting used to a few more people knowing about his story，”his sister Kate told Fairfax Media．“We told his story so that he was known to the kids，and thus people wouldn’t stop and stare，”Kate continued．“We’re not sure what to expect now that his story has aired across Australia．The effect it would have in a positive way on people is beyond our expectation．”From the first two paragraphs we can learn that Matthew Ames
| A．has finished all of his operations |
| B．is the first bionic man in the world |
| C．is becoming the focus of the public |
| D．had his arms and legs cut completely |
From what Matthew Ames’sons say，we can conclude that
| A．it was a wonder for their father to escape from death |
| B．most doctors refused to operate on their father |
| C．the sons’love is the cure of their father，s disease |
| D．the sons’pray moved God and saved their father |
What was the attitude of Matthew’s wife when he was advised to cut his legs and arms？
| A．Doubtful. | B．Supportive. | C．Cautious. | D．Casual. |
What would be the best title for the passage？
A. A Lucky Father B. A Bionic Man
C．A National Hero D'. A Reliable Husband
Raleigh Equipe RW Road Bike
Item condition :New Read more about the condition .
Price :GB￡199.98or US$319.98
Item location :Newcastle upon Tyne , United Kingdom Ships to :Worldwide
Shipping: GB￡100.00International Tracked Postage
Item location :Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Ships to :Worldwide
This machine gets you going for your first taste of fast riding on a drop bar machine．With thegear shifters（齿轮变速器）positioned to allow you easy changing，you can relax and speed off instyle ．Equipped with 28 mm tyres and mudguard clearance，this bike can be perfectly adapted tosuit several uses一from commuting（通勤）through to riding the smoother country trails.
Very lightly ridden and in excellent condition．Bike has about 400 miles on it，has spent most of its time hanging in garage and works great．Will show signs of normal mountain bike use．What can we learn from this passage？
| A．The Raleigh Equipe RW Road Bike is suitable for different purposes． |
| B．The Trek Supeif y World Racing Team Mountain Bike is in poor condition． |
| C．The Specialized Stump Jumpber Mountain Bike is the most expensive of the three． |
| D．It’s easy for people worldwide to buy the three bikes with the same shipping company． |
If you ordered the Raleigh Equipe RW Road Bike，you are supposed to pay about＿＿．
| A．US＄490 .17 | B．US＄439.17 | C．US＄419.98 | D．US＄499.98 |
What do the last two bikes have in common？
| A．Both were much ridden after being bought． |
| B．Both have the same transportation expense． |
| C．Both come from the UK and fit for mountain． |
| D．Both are second一hand and sold from the USA |
In the new book The Education of Millionaires，Michael Ellsberg suggests that although“there are many wonderful things you can learn in college，”few of them are applied to real life ．So Ellsberg has written the book to tell“the capabilities and attitudes that will get you improved outside the classroom．”
I welcome the kind of debate about the value of higher education.It is necessary to remember， however，that Ellsberg also tells how important it is to make money．He mentions a number of college dropouts一such as Bill Gates and Michael Dell一to show how successful they have become without the benefit of a college degree．While Ellsberg stresses the achievements of dropouts，he includes degree holders who have become wealthy and famous．For example，of the current Fortune 500 CEOs，some 99％have a college degree．Similarly，of the Forbes 400 richest people in America，81％hold postseconda.ry（高等）degrees.
But in the discussion，what is forgotten about the value is that the purpose of education is not simply to enable one to earn a living but to prepare one for living over the course of life ．What is also left out of the debate about higher education is that its purpose is not just to provide a pathway covered with gold for the nation’s elites（精英）．If we have the discussion that way，we may look down upon the people who devote themselves to other ordinary jobs that form the basic structures（结构）of our society，Though these individuals may not be reaching for the kind of stars that Michael Ellsberg and others would have them grasp，most are doing something even more important：they are involved in the useful tasks of good citizens and contributing to the common welfare，including providing for their families．In the book The Education of Millionaires，Michael Ellsberg＿＿＿．
| A．approves of the value of education |
| B．explains the reasons for dropping out |
| C．tells the way of getting out of college |
| D．discusses the practical value of college degrees |
The second paragraph suggests a fact that＿＿＿＿
| A．the value of higher education is never challenged |
| B．higher education ensures people making more money |
| C．most of the richest people received college education |
| D．success of dropouts proves the value of higher education |
From the last paragraph we can learn that the author＿＿＿
| A．is keen on society charity work | B．calls for the equality of all man |
| C．speaks highly of the nation’s elites | D．shows respect to common people |
The passage is written mainly to．＿＿＿
| A．persuade people to go to university |
| B．make a comment on a new book |
| C．complain about the college education |
| D．praise Michael Ellsberg for his hard work |
“Get yourself up and make something of yourself，buddy！”Though my mother has passed away，her words are as clear in my head today as when I was a boy．
“Christ！”I said，“I have made something of myself. I want to sleep late as I like．”
“If there’s one thing I can’t stand，it’s a quitter．”Her voice in my head is more powerful than my will to refuse，so I pull myself from bed．
Before I was out of primary school，mother could see I lacked the gifts for either making millions or winning the love of crowds．So she began pushing me toward working with words．Words ran in her family．There seemed to be a word gene that passed down from her mother’s grandfather·
The greatest proof was my mother’s first cousin Edwin．He was the managing editor of the New York Times and had gained a name in his career．
In 1947 1 graduated from Johns Hopkins and applied for a job with the Baltimore Sun as a police reporter．It paid＄30 a week ．When I complained the wage was shameful for a learned man，mother refused to sympathize．“If you work hard at this job，”she said，“maybe you can make something of it．”
After a while，I was asked to cover diplomats（外交官）at various African embassies. Then，
seven years later I was arranged by the Sun to cover the White House，a task that was as close to heaven as a journalist could get．However，whatever achievement of mine only seemed insignificant in her eyes．Uncle Edwin’s success was really annoying during my early years as a reporter．What a thrill，I thought．
Then，out of my wildest childhood fantasy，the Times came knocking．It was sad that Uncle Edwin had passed away by this time．In 1979 I won the Pulitzer Prize．Unfortunately，my mother’s brain and health broke down the year before，leaving her in a nursing home，out of touch with life forevermore ．She never knew of my Pulitzer．
I can probably guess how she’d have responded．“ That’s nice，buddy．It shows if you work hand，you’11 be able to make something of yourself one day，”The first three paragraphs are intended to＿＿＿＿＿＿
| A．draw readers’attention to the author’s success |
| B．remind readers that the road to success is rough |
| C．serve as an introduction to the author’s mother |
| D．explain why the author’s mother kept blaming him |
The underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 probably means that tier families＿＿＿＿
| A．were gifted at language | B．never broke their promise |
| C．were fond of reading | D．stuck to their family belief |
What can we learn about the author
| A．He got a good salary working as a police reporter． |
| B．He lived a rich life with his mother in his childhood． |
| C．It was proud of her mother to see his winning the Pulitzer Prize． |
| D．It was beyond his wildest dream that he could work for the Times． |
The author regards Uncle Edwin’s success as a thrill because＿＿＿＿＿＿．
| A．he himself was less smart than Uncle Edwin |
| B．his mother’s family thought Uncle Edwin to be a good reporter |
| C．few reporters can become the managing editor of the New York Times |
| D．Uncle Edwin spared no effort to get the Pulitzer Prize at the cost of his life |
I was in a strange city I didn’t know at all, and what’s more, I could not speak a word of the language. On my second day I got on the first bus that passed, rode on it for several stops, then got off and walked on. The first two hours passed pleasantly enough, then I decided to turn back to my hotel for lunch. After walking about for some time, I decided I had better ask the way. The trouble was that the only word I knew of the language was the name of the street in which I lived, and even that I pronounced badly. I stopped to ask a newspaper-seller. He handed me a paper. I shook my head and repeated the name of the street and he put the paper into my hands. I had to give him some money and went on my way. The next person, I asked was a policeman. He listened to me carefully, nodded and gently took me by the arm. There was a strange look in his eyes as he pointed left and right and left again. I nodded politely and began walking in the direction he pointed.
About an hour passed and I noticed that the houses were getting fewer and fewer and green fields were appearing on either side of me. I had come all the way into the countryside. The only thing left for me to do was find the nearest railway station.The writer preferred to walk back to his hotel because ________.
| A．he had no money to buy a ticket |
| B．he wanted to lose himself in the city |
| C．he tried to know the city in this way |
| D．it was late and there were no buses passing by |
The newspaper-seller______.
| A．didn’t know where the hotel was |
| B．didn’t understand what the writer said |
| C．could understand what the writer said |
| D．didn’t want to take the money from the writer |
From the story we know that the policeman______.
| A．was kind but didn’t understand the writer |
| B．told the writer where to take a train |
| C．knew what the writer really meant |
| D．was cold-hearted and didn’t help the writer |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．The writer got close to the hotel where he stayed. |
| B．The writer got to the hotel with the policeman’s help. |
| C．The writer found he was much farther away from the hotel. |
| D．The writer found the hotel in the direction the policeman pointed. |
In your opinion, what was the writer’s real trouble?
| A．He didn’t know the city at all. |
| B．He couldn’t speak the language. |
| C．He went too far in the wrong bus. |
| D．He followed the policeman’s direction. |