This is the front page of the Simple English Wikipedia. Wikipedias are places where people work together to write encyclopedias(百科) in different languages. We use simple English words and grammar here. The Simple English Wikipedia is for everyone! That includes children and adults who are learning English.
There are 59,298 articles on the Simple English Wikipedia. All of the pages are free to use. They have all been published under both the Creative Commons Attribution / Share-Alike Licence 3.0 and the GNU Free Documentation Licence. You can help here! You may change these pages and make the new pages. Read the help pages and other good pages to learn how to write pages here. If you need help, you may ask questions at Simple talk.
When writing articles here:
Use easy words and shorter sentences. This lets people who know little English read them.
Write good pages. The best encyclopedia pages have useful, well written information.
Use the pages to learn and teach. These pages can help people learn English. You can also use them to make a new Wikipedia to help other people.
Simple does not mean little. Writing in Simple English means that simple words are used. It does not mean readers want simple information. Articles do not have to be short to be simple; expand articles, include a lot of information, but use basic vocabulary.
Be bold! Your article does not have to be perfect, because other editors will fix it and make it better. And most importantly, do not be afraid to start and make articles better yourself. Wikipedia is a website for people to____.
| A．show their special photos and perfect videos in different languages |
| B．have a chat with different friends who know little English |
| C．see the latest famous films and TV programs |
| D．work together to write all kinds of useful information in different languages |
From the second paragraph, we know that_____.
| A．all of the articles on the Simple English Wikipedia are not free |
| B．the number of the articles on the Simple English is less than 60,000 |
| C．You can’t make new pages. |
| D．you can never change the pages or articles on the website |
If you want to write articles for the Simple English Wikipedia, you should____.
| A．learn how to write pages in a famous university first |
| B．use advanced English grammar and professional terms |
| C．use easy words and shorter sentences to describe valuable information |
| D．write articles only for children |
According to the text, we know that Simple talk is to_____.
| A．offer different kinds of friends from all over the world |
| B．talk with the editor who can help you publish your articles |
| C．help you solve questions about writing pages here |
| D．teach you simple English |
From the text we can learn that____.
| A．these pages can be changed to teach others who are learning English |
| B．your articles have to be perfect, or they will be refused |
| C．you can write your articles simply because readers want simple information |
| D．the articles you write are mainly for adults |
Geneva is situated between the Jura Range and the Alps on the western end of Lake Geneva. Capital of Peace is one of its names— the European headquarters of the United Nations lies here in Palais des Nations. Another worthy name for this city with a humanitarian tradition（人道主义传统）and international character is the World’s Smallest Metropolis. Parks, splendid stores and lively streets in the old part of town and its 2000-year history wait to be discovered.
The Jet d’Eau together with the Flower Watch are the main attractions every year for the tourists visiting Geneva. The Jet d’Eau has become the symbol（象征）of Geneva for a long time. This is a 140 meters high water monument with a rich history. Eight 13,500-watt projectors light the grand column（圆柱）of the fountain in the evening, from early March until the second Sunday of October. The Flower Watch, which was created at the edge of the English Garden in 1955, reminds us about that Geneva is the birthplace of the Swiss clock and watch making, and that this industry has become internationally famous, as well through the quality of the watches as through their beautiful appearance.
Sails on Lake Geneva are also enjoyable. The Lake of Geneva, lying among the Alps, is a true inland sea, making possible a wide range of pleasant boat trips, you can relax and watch the beautiful scenes pass by.
56. Which of the following is NOT suitable for describing Geneva?
A. Capital of Peace. B. Palais des Nations.
C. The World’s Smallest Metropolis.
D. The birthplace of the Swiss clock and watch making.
57. The Jet d’Eau in the second paragraph refers to .
A. the water fountain B. the English Garden
C. a new scene with electric lighting D. the name of a famous watchmaker
58. What do we learn about the Lake of Geneva from the text?
A. It is the symbol of Geneva.
B. It lies among the Jura Range.
C. It has a direct passage to the ocean.
D. It is a large body of water of tourist interest.
All people, ____they are old or young,black or white,all hold the same dream to have a peaceful world.
| A．whether | B．however | C．no matter | D．even though |
To face the music
Like every language, American English is full of special expressions, phrases that come from the day-to-day life of the people and develop in their own way. Our expression today is “to face the music”.
When someone says, “well, I guess I’ll have to face the music,” it does not mean he’s planning to go to the concert. It is something far less pleasant, like being called in by your boss to explain why you did this and did that, and why you didn’t do this or that. Sour music indeed, but it has to be faced. At sometime or another, every one of us has had to face the music, especially as children. We can all remember father’s angry voice, “I want to talk to you.” and only because we did not obey him. What an unpleasant business it was!
The phrase “to face the music” is familiar to every American, young and old. It is at least 100 years old. And where did this expression come from? The first explanation comes from the American novelist, James Fenimore Looper. He said, in 1851, that the expression was first used by actors while waiting in the wings to go on the stage. When they got their cue to go on, they often said, “Well, it’s time to face the music.” And that was exactly what they did — facing the orchestra which was just below them. And an actor might be frightened or nervous as he moved on to the stage in front of an audience that might be friendly or perhaps hostile, especially if he forgot his lines. But he had to go out. If he did not, there would be no play. So the expression “to face the music” come to mean “having to go through something, no matter how unpleasant the experience might be, because you knew you had no choice.”
Other explanations about the expression go back to the army. When the men faced an inspection by their leader, the soldiers would be worried about how well they looked. Was their equipment clean, shinny enough to pass the inspection? Still the men had to go out and face the music of the band as well as the inspection. What else could they do?
Another army explanation is more closely related to the idea of facing the results and accepting the responsibility for something that should not have been done. As, for example when a man is forced out of the army because he did something terrible, he is dishonored. The band does not play. Only the drums tap a sad, slow beat. The soldier is forced to leave, facing such music as it is and facing the back of his horse.
1. How many ways does the phrase “to face the music” comes from?
A. 1B. 2 C. 3 D. 4
2. What’s the meaning of “to face the music?”
A. To face something far less pleasant.
B. To face the stage.
C. To face the back of one’s horse.
D. To face one’s leader.
3. Which of the following is a situation of facing the music?
A. When we are playing basketball.
B. When we are making a speech.
C. When we are having a party.
D. When we are talking with somebody.
4. The underlined word “hostile” means _______.
A. unfriendly B. dislike C. unkind D. unnecessary
The 2008 Beijing Olympics began officially on Friday 8th August 2008 at 8 pm in front of a crowd of 90,000 eager spectators in the Bird's Nest stadium.Things got off to a bang with a starting firework display which lit up Beijing's skyline, followed by a total of 2,008 energetic drummers beating a countdown（倒计时）. Then the crowd was treated to an amazing sequence（系列） pretty and carefully designed scenes which took them through 5,000 years of Chinese history and culture.After these performances, it was time for the athletes themselves to take center stage. In keeping with tradition, Olympic founders Greece led the 204 competing nations into the stadium.China's 639 athletes entered last behind towering flag bearer Yao Ming, to a thunderous reception from the crowd.Finally, the main torch was lit by a jet of fire from Chinese Olympic hero Li Ning, who had been pulled up to the roof of the stadium on wires.China, of course, was not alone in watching the opening ceremony. British newspaper The Guardian said the show "outdid all of its former hosts in numbers, colour, noise and expense."
The Financial Times was equally impressed. "No country ever has--or surely will--match the Chinese in effort, human power, organization, creativity and , it has to be said, money they were willing to put into what once a little show."
No pressure on the next host city then! With just four years to go, the London Olympic organizers have promised to deliver an equally inspirational ceremony. Let's hope they can pull it off.
45. Which of the following is the right order of the opening ceremony of 29th Olympic Games?
a. China's athletes entered last behind Yao Ming.
b. A starting firework display lit up Beijing's skyline.c. The main torch was lit by a jet of fire from Chinese Olympic hero Li Ning.
d. A total of 2,008 energetic drummers beat a countdown.e. The crowd was treated to an amazing sequence of pretty and carefully designed scenes which took them through 5,000 years of Chinese history and culture.f. Olympic founders Greece led the 204 competing nations into the stadium.A. b, d, e, a, f, c B. d, c, b, a, e, f C. d, c, a, e, b, f D. b, d, e, f, a, c46. What does the underlined word outdid probably mean in this passage?
A. did well B. did worse than C. did better than D. did poorly47. Which of the following can best describe the author's attitude toward the London Olympics?
A. negative B. sad C. positiveD. satisfied48. We can find the passage in a newspaper most probably in _____________section.
A. music B. sports C. literatureD. military
Barack Obama made his victory speech in Chicago after a hard-fought campaign.Democratic Senator Barack Obama has won the US presidential election, and will become the 44th President of the United States-the first African-American in the country's history to do so.President-elect Obama marked his victory with a speech to a crowd of tens of thousands of people in his hometown of Chicago.Obama described his election as a "defining moment' in the history of the United States, saying that "change has come to America".The BBC's spokesman in Washington says that in electing Barack Obama, the American people have expressed their unhappiness with the present state and rejected their country's historical racial divisions.The Australian Prime Minister summed up how many people felt when he congratulated President-elect Obama.“Forty-five years ago Martin Luther King had a dream of an America where men and women would be judged not on the colour of their skin but on the content of their character. Today what America has done is turn that dream into a reality," said Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.President-elect Obama will not take office until 20th January next year. However, when he does become president, he will face many serious challenges, including two foreign wars, climate change and what he has described as " the worst financial crisis （经济危机）in a century."But the mood of the country is optimistic, according to most commentators, and Obama himself appears to enjoy the challenge."The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be difficult. We may not get there in one year or even in one term, but America--I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there," said the next President of the United States.41. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?A. It was not a difficult process for Obama to win the US presidential election.B. The American people welcome the historical racial divisions.C. What Martin Luther King dreamed about America has come true.D. After the election Obama didn't say anything about his victory.42. According to the passage, it seems that in the United States, _____________.A. people may still be treated unequally because of their color of skin.B. people are experiencing two civil wars.C. Americans are enjoying the economy developing.D. People are not satisfied with President-elect.43. From the last two paragraphs, we can learn that________________.A. the attitude of American people to their country's future is not clear.B. Obama has confidence in American future and ready to face it.C. the road to America will be long.D.the change of America is not hard to achieve.44. What is probablythe best title to the passage?A. Historical presidential election B. The first African-American PresidentC. Change has comeD. Comments about America