Among the four skills in learning English ,which of these is the “Odd-Man-Out”?The answer is speaking. The other three you can do alone on your own. But you can't really speak alone! Speaking to yourself can be “dangerous” because men in white coats may come and take you away!
Where can you find people to speak English? And how can you practise speaking when you are alone?At school if you pay to go to a language school ,you should use the chance to speak .If your teacher asks you to speak in pairs or groups with other students ,try to say as much as possible. Don't worry about your mistakes. Just speak!
Conversation Clubs Many cities around the world have conversation clubs where people can exchange one language for another .Look in your local newspaper to find a conversation club near you .They are usually free although some may charge a small entrance fee.
Shopping Even if you don't want to buy anything ,you can ask questions about products that interest you in a shop.“How much does this cost?” “Can I pay by cheque?” Often you can start a real conversation—and it costs you nothing!
Cafe and Bars There are often American, Britain, Irish and Australian bars in many large cities .If you can find one, you'll probably meet many people speaking English as a first or second language.
Language is all around you Everywhere you go, you find language .Shop names, street names ,advertisements ,notices ,and car numbers....When you walk down the street ,practise reading the words and numbers that you see .Say them to yourself .It's not exactly a conversation ,but it will help you to “think” in English .But don't speak too loud!
Songs and Video Repeat the words of an English-language song singing with the music until it becomes automatic. It's good practice for your memory and for the mouth muscles that you need for English.
Above all ,speak as much as possible! Make as many mistakes as possible! When you know that you have made a mistake, you know that you have made progress!What does “Odd-Man-Out” probably mean according to the passage?
| A．Someone or something appearing different from others. |
| B．Someone or something standing out of the group. |
| C．Someone or something arranged in pairs. |
| D．Someone or something easily mistaken for another. |
What might happen if you speak to yourself loudly in public?
| A．The police will take you away and punish you. |
| B．The doctors will force you to stay in hospital. |
| C．You will have to pay to escape being punished. |
| D．You will be forbidden to be member of the club. |
Why does the writer say “Make as many mistakes as possible”?Because _______.
| A．everyone will make mistakes in learning English |
| B．everyone will meet people speaking English with some mistakes |
| C．making mistakes is a must in making progress in learning English |
| D．making mistakes can make one realize the importance of speaking |
According to the passage,which way is not likely to be accepted by English beginners?
| A．Recite poems loudly along the riverside. |
| B．Listen to some English pop songs and video. |
| C．Find an Englishman to speak English with. |
| D．Take to the TV showing programmes at home. |
The world is filled with smart, talented, educated and gifted people. We meet them every day. A few days ago, my car was not running well. I pulled it into a garage and the young mechanic had it fixed in just a few minutes. He knew what was wrong by simply listening to the engine. I was amazed. The sad truth is, great talent is not enough.
I am constantly shocked at how little talented people earn. I heard the other day that less than 5 percent of Americans earn more than $100,000 a year. A business consultant who specializes in the medical trade told me how many doctors and dentists struggled financially. It was this business consultant who gave me the phrase, “They are one skill away from great wealth.”
There is an old saying that goes, “Job means ‘just over broke（破产）’.” And unfortunately, I would say that the saying applies to millions of people. Because school does not think financial intelligence is intelligence, and most workers live within their means. They work and they pay the bills. Instead I recommend to young people to seek work for what they will learn, more than what they will earn.
When I ask the classes I teach, “How many of you can cook a better hamburger than McDonald’s?”， almost all the students raise their hands. I then ask, “So if most of you can cook a better hamburger, how come McDonald’s makes more money than you?” The answer is obvious: McDonald’s is excellent at business systems. The reason why so many talented people are poor is that they focus on making a better hamburger but know little or nothing about business systems. The world is filled with talented poor people. They focus on perfecting their skills at building a better hamburger rather than the skills of selling and delivering the hamburger.The author mentions the mechanic in the first paragraph to show that.
| A．he is just one of the talented people |
| B．he is ready to help others |
| C．he has a sharp sense of hearing |
| D．he knows little about car repairing |
The underlined part in the third paragraph can be best replaced by“”.
| A．spend more than they can afford |
| B．do in their own way |
| C．live in their own circle |
| D．live within what they earn |
Why do talented people earn so little according to the author?
| A．They don’t work hard enough. |
| B．They lack financial intelligence. |
| C．They don’t make full use of their talents. |
| D．They have no specialized skills. |
The success of McDonald’s lies in its.
| A．skills at making hamburgers |
| B．good business systems |
| C．talented workers |
| D．excellent service |
The main purpose of the author is to tell us.
| A．how young people can find a satisfactory job |
| B．what schools should teach students |
| C．why so many talented people are poor |
| D．how McDonald’s makes much money |
One is never too old to learn. Life learning (sometimes called un-schooling or self-directed learning) is one of those concepts that are almost easier to explain by saying what it isn’t than what it is. And that’s probably because our own schooled backgrounds have convinced us that learning happens only in a fine building on certain days, between certain hours, and managed by a specially trained professional.
Within that schooling framestudy, no matter how hard teachers try and no matter how good their textbooks, many bright students get bored, many slower students struggle and give up or lose their self-respect, and most of them reach the end of the process unprepared to enter into society. They have memorized a certain body of knowledge long enough to rush back the information on tests, but they haven’t really learnt much, at least of the official curriculum.
Life learners, on the other hand, know that learning is not difficult, that people learn things quite easily if they’re not compelled and forced, if they see a need to learn something, and if they are trusted and respected enough to learn it on their own timetable, at their own speed, in their own way—no matter what age and no matter whether we’re at school or at home.
Life learning is independent of time, location or the presence of teacher. It does not require mom or dad to teach, or kids to work in workbooks at the table from 9 to noon. Life learning is learner-driven. It involves living and learning—in and from the real world. It is about exploring, questioning, experimenting, making messes, taking risks without fear of making mistakes, being laughed at and trying again.
Furthermore, life learning is about trusting kids to learn what they need to know and about helping them to learn and grow in their own ways. It is about providing positive experiences that enable children to understand the world and their culture and to interact with it. It is implied in the text that it is hard to ___________.
| A．find a specially trained teacher |
| B．carry life learning through |
| C．learn without going to school |
| D．tell the nature of life learning |
. According to the author, the schooling framestudy often ____________.
| A．produces slow students with poor memories |
| B．fails to provide enough knowledge about life |
| C．ignores some parts of the official curriculum |
| D．gives little care to the quality of teaching materials |
Life learners recognize that learning will not be difficult if they are ____________.
| A．clear about why to learn |
| B．careful to make a time table |
| C．able to respect other people |
| D．cautious about any mistakes |
According to the author, life learning ___________.
| A．could be a road full of trials and errors |
| B．teaches a kid how to avoid being laughed at |
| C．makes a kid independent of his parents |
| D．could prevent one from running risks |
Through life learning, children ___________.
| A．will grow without the assistance from parents |
| B．will be separated from the negative side of society |
| C．will be driven to learn necessary life knowledge |
| D．will learn to communicate with the real society |
Yesterday I went to our local grocery store. I often go to their deli counter, and I understand that it can get a little confused for the workers. So normally none of them ever take the time to smile or seem overly friendly. But yesterday it was completely different. I was pleasantly surprised to be greeted with a very welcoming smile by the young man behind the counter. He never sighed heavily or slumped back and forth like he didn’t want to be there. He was all by himself and quite a long line. But not once did he act concerned about it. He just did his job efficiently and acted very kind the entire time.
I was so impressed that I approached the manager. I explained to her that I often visit the deli counter and I have never been greeted with such kindness. She agreed with me that he was a wonderful person and she thanked me for sharing my feelings with her.
As I was walking away，I could hear her approaching the young man with，“I just got a wonderful compliment(praise) about you.” I couldn't hear everything she was saying，but I knew that she did thank him. I couldn't help but smile!
Later I had to pass by the deli counter to get onions. There was no one there，except the diligent young man. He didn't say anything，he just smiled at me. I realized that I hadn't done a huge deed that day，but that small deed made a small difference to someone．I love seeing people smile. I just received my smile cards and I wish I had one with me that day. Maybe I will drop one off at the deli a different day! It's amazing how good I felt after that.
So，friends，the next time you are in a grocery store，retail store，restaurant，or anywhere that someone is working hard，letting them know in some way can mean so much. I hope you get a smile out of it like I did! The passage is mainly about.
| A．friendship between the writer and a young man |
| B．the power of a simple compliment |
| C．a grocery store |
| D．a diligent assistant |
The writer found it was different yesterday because.
| A．the young man was very busy |
| B．the young man was concerned about so many customers |
| C．the writer was warmly greeted by a young man |
| D．the young man acted very kind all the time |
The writer approached the manager to.
| A．thank him |
| B．say hello to him |
| C．complain about the service |
| D．praise the young man |
The underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 implies that the writer will .
| A．smile to others at the deli one day |
| B．give one card to the young man one day |
| C．drop in at the deli one day |
| D．go to the deli for a job one day |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．Praising others' hard work means nothing. |
| B．Helping others is always rewarding. |
| C．We should never hesitate to praise hard-working persons. |
| D．Not all good deeds deserve praise. |
If your mother wants to tell you something, she uses words. Birds cannot talk as we do. But some birds can make sounds to warn their young of danger.
The jackdaw is a kind of blackbirds that lives in Europe. Jackdaws live together. Young jackdaws do not know their enemies. When an older jackdaw sees a dog, it makes a loud rattling sound. The younger birds know this sound means danger is nearby. The sound warns them to know their enemies.
If a young jackdaw is in a dangerous place, a jackdaw parent flies over him from behind. The parent bird flies low over the young bird’s back. The parent’s tail feathers move quickly from side to side, trying to express, “Follow me.” At the same time, the parent calls out, “Key-aw, key-aw. ”The parent mean, “Fly home with me.” The young bird then follows the older one home. Young jackdaws do not have to learn what certain sounds mean. They know the meaning of these sounds from the time they hatch（孵出）.The jackdaw lives in.
| A．Europe | B．Australia | C．America | D．Africa |
Which of the following does this story lead you to believe?
| A．All animal parents can talk to their young. |
| B．Dogs are the most dangerous enemies for jackdaws. |
| C．Young jackdaws know the meaning of their parents’ sound when they grow older. |
| D．Some birds can give information to one another. |
Parent jackdaw can use their tail feathers to.
| A．ask their young to follow them |
| B．play a game with the young |
| C．tell the meal time |
| D．give a warning of a fire |
All her life, my mother wanted busy children. It was very important that her house should remain at all things clean and tidy.
You could turn your back for a moment in my mother's house, leave a half written letter on the dining room table, a magazine open on the chair, and turn around to find that my mother had "put it back where it belonged." as she explained.
My wife, on one of her first visits to my mother's house, placed a packet of biscuits on an end table and went to the kitchen to fetch a drink. When she returned, she found the packet had been removed. Confused (疑惑的), she set down her drink and went back to the kitchen for more biscuits, only to return to find that her drink had disappeared. Up to then she had guessed that everyone in my family held onto their drinks, so as not to make water rings on the end tables. Now she knows better.
These disappearances had a confusing effect on our family. We were all inclined to (有......的倾向) forgetfulness, and it was common for one of us, upon returning from the bathroom, to find the every sign of his work in progress had disappeared suddenly. "Do you remember what I was doing?" was a question frequently asked, but rarely answered.
Now my sister has developed a second-hand love of clean windows, and my brother does the cleaning in his house, perhaps to avoid having to be the one to lift his feet. I try not to think about it too much, but I have at this later time started to dust the furniture once a week.Which of the following is TRUE about my mother?
| A．She enjoyed removing others' drinks. |
| B．She became more and more forgetful. |
| C．She preferred to do everything by herself. |
| D．She wanted to keep her house in good order. |
My wife could not find her biscuits and drink in my mother's house because _______.
| A．she had already finished them |
| B．my mother had taken them away |
| C．she forgot where she had left them |
| D．someone in my family was holding them |
The underlined part to the fifth paragraph suggests that my sister _______.
| A．is happy to clean windows |
| B．loves to clean used windows |
| C．is fond of clean used windows |
| D．likes clean windows as my mother did |
This passage mainly tells us that _______.
| A．my mother often made us confused |
| B．my family members had a poor memory |
| C．my mother helped us to form a good habit |
| D．my wife was surprised when she visited my mother |