On October 19, 1959, the first Special English program was broadcast on the Voice of America. It was an experiment. The goal was to communicate by radio in clear and simple English with people whose native language is not English. Experts said the goal was admirable, but the method would not work. They were proved wrong. The Special English programs quickly became some of the most popular on VOA. And they still are.
Forty years later, Special English continues to communicate with people who are not fluent in English. But during the years its role has expanded. It also helps people learn American English. And it provides listeners, even those who are native English speakers, with information they cannot find elsewhere.
Today, Special English broadcasts around the world seven days a week, five times a day. Each half-hour broadcast begins with ten minutes of the latest news followed by 20 minutes of feature programming. There is a different short feature every weekday about science, development, agriculture and environment, and on the weekend, about news events and American idioms.
Three elements make Special English unique. It has a limited vocabulary of 1500 words. Most are simple words that describe objects, actions or emotions. Some are more difficult. They are used for reporting world events and describing discoveries in medicine and science. Special English is written in short, simple sentences that contain only one idea. No idioms are used. And Special English is spoken at a slower pace, about two-thirds the speed of Standard English. This helps people learning English hear each word clearly. It also helps people who are English speakers understand complex subjects.
Through the years, Special English has become a very popular tool for teaching English, even though it was not designed as teaching program. It succeeds in helping people learn English in a non-traditional way. Individuals record the programs and play them over and over to practice their listening skills. In countries around the world, English teachers assign Special English to their students. They praise it for improving their students' ability to understand American English and for the content of the programs. Universities and private companies in many countries produce packages of Special English materials for student use.At the beginning, Special English program was .
| A．well received |
| B．rejected by native people |
| C．doubted by some professionals |
| D．intended for teaching English |
What kind of English is spoken on Special English?
| A．British English. |
| B．American English. |
| C．Both British and American English. |
| D．Not certain. |
Which of the following are the elements that make Special English unique?
a．limited vocabulary
b．short simple sentences
c．good communication method
d．slow speed
e．interesting feature programming
| A．a, b, c | B．a, c, d | C．a, b, d | D．b, d, e |
From the last paragraph we can infer that .
| A．listening to Special English can be a student’s homework |
| B．listening to Special English can improve the content of the program |
| C．some student record the Special English material for sale |
| D．learning English from VOA is a traditional way for English learner. |
When I stepped out the plane from Miami into Charlotte, North Carolina, airport for a connecting flight home, I immediately knew something was wrong. Lots of desperate people crowded the terminal. I quickly learned that flights headed to the Northeast were called off because of a storm. The earliest they could get us out of Charlotte was Tuesday. It was Friday. A gate agent stood on the counter and shouted, “Don’t ask us for help! We cannot help you!”
I joined a crowd that ran from terminal to terminal in search of a flight out. Eventually, I found six strangers willing to rent a van with me. We drove through the night to Washington, where I took a train the rest of the way to Providence.
The real problem, of course, is that incidents like this happen every day, to everyone who flies, more and more often. It really gets to me, though, because for eight years I was on the other side, as a flight attendant for Trans-World Airlines (TWA).
I know the days are gone when attendants could be written up if we did not put the lines napkins with the TWA logo in the lower right-hand corner of the first-class diners’ trays. As are the days when there were three dinner options on flights from Boston to Los Angeles in economy class. When, once, stuck on a tarmac（机场停机坪）in Newark for four hours, a planeload of passengers got McDonald’s hamburgers and fries by thoughtfulness of the airline. I have experienced the decline of service along with the rest of the flying public. But I believe everything will change little by little, because I remember the days when to fly was to soar (翱翔). The airlines, and their employees, took pride in how their passengers were treated. And I think the days are sure to come back one day in the near future. Many people crowded the terminal because _______.
| A．they were ready to board on the planes |
| B．something was wrong with the terminal |
| C．the flights to the Northeast were canceled |
| D．the gate agent wouldn’t help the passengers |
How did the writer get to Providence at last?___
| A．by air | B．by van |
| C．by train | D．by underground |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?______
| A．Incidents happened to those who fly quite often. |
| B．The writer used to be a flight attendant for Trans-World Airlines. |
| C．Even a small mistake might cause complaints from passengers in the past. |
| D．McDonald’s hamburgers and fries were among regular dinner options. |
What can be implied from the passage?____
| A．The writer lived in Charlotte, North Carolina. |
| B．The writer thought the service was not as good as it used to be. |
| C．The writer with other passengers waited to be picked up patiently. |
| D．Passengers would feel proud of how they were treated on the plane. |
Whether in the workplace or on the football field, effective teamwork can produce amazing results．However, working successfully as a team is not as easy as it may seem．Effective teamwork certainly does not just happen automatically; it take s a great deal of hard work and compromise．There are a number of factors that must be in place to make a good team．
Effective leadership is one of the most important components of good teamwork．The team’s leader should possess the skills to create and preserve a positive working environment and motivate and inspire the team members to take a positive approach to work and be highly committed．An effective team leader will promote a high level of spirit and make them feel supported and valued．
Communication is a vital factor of all interpersonal relationship and especially that of a team．Team member s must be able to articulate their feelings, express plans and goals, share ideas and see each other’s opinions．
Conflicts will arise no matter how well a team functions together．The best way to deal with conflicts is to have some organized methods of handling conflicts．Team members should be able to voice their concerns without fear of offending others．Instead of avoiding conflict issues, a hands-on approach that settles them quickly is much better．It is often advised that the team leader sit with the conflicting parties and help work out their differences without taking sides and trying to remain objective if possible．
The team leader must set a good example to create good teamwork．In order to keep team members positive and committed and motivated, the team leader herself / himself needs to
show these qualities．The team turns to the leader for support and guidance．So any negative words or behaviors on the leader’s part can be disastrous．
Regardless of what type of work you are in, knowing how to effectively work on and with a team is going to be extremely important to your success and that of your team．Effective leadership is important partly because ___________________．
| A．it creates a positive working environment |
| B．it helps a leader to develop lots of skills |
C．it makes a leader fee l supported and valued |
| D．it depends on interpersonal relationship of a team |
The underlined word “articulate” probably means _________________．
| A．hide | B．feel | C．plan | D．express |
When conflicts arise among team members, the team leader should ___________________．
| A．worry about the team members | B．ignore the team members’ voices |
| C．work out their differences | D．try to avoid conflict issues |
Which is the best title for the passage?
| A．Football And Teamwork | B．Communication And Teamwork |
| C．What Makes Effective Teamwork | D．How to Handle Conflicts in a Team |
It's really true what people say about English politeness: it's everywhere．When squeezing past someone in a narrow aisle, people say "sorry"．When getting off a bus, English passengers say "thank you" rather than the driver．In Germany, people would never dream of doing these things．
After all, squeezing past others sometimes can't be avoided．and the bus driver is merely doing his job．I used lo think the same way, without questioning it, until I started traveling to the British Isles and came to appreciate some more polite ways of communicating with people．
People thank each other everywhere in England, all the time．When people buy something in a shop, customer and retail assistant in most cases thank each other twice or more．In Germany, it would be exceptional to hear more than one thank you in such a conversation．British students thank their lecturers when leaving the room．English employers thank their employees for doing their jobs as opposed to Germans, who would normally think that paying their workers money is already enough．
Another thing I observed during my stay was that English people rarely criticize others．Even when I was working and mistakes were pointed out to me．my employers stressed several times but none of their explanations were intended as criticism．It has been my impression that by avoiding criticism, English people are making an effort to make others feel comfortable．This also is shown in other ways．British men still open doors for women, and British men are more likely to treat women to a meal than German men．However, 1 do need to point out here
that this applies to English men a bit more than it would to Scottish men' Yes, the latter are a bit tightfisted．What is the author's attitude towards English politeness?
| A．He appreciates it | B．He gives no personal opinion |
| C．He thinks it is artificial | D．He thinks it goes too far． |
What can we learn about customers and retail assistants in Germany?
| A．It's always a retail assistant who says thank you． |
| B．A customer never says thank you to a retail assistant． |
| C．They always say thank you to each other． |
D．They may say thank you only once． |
We can learn from the last paragraph that Scottish men _____．
| A．are more likely to be involved in a fighting． |
| B．are not so willing to spend money for women． |
| C．are more polite than English men. |
| D．treat women in a polite way. |
The author develops the text through the method of.
| A．giving comments | B．telling stories |
| C．making comparisons | D．giving reasons |
Beijing has started a battle to get rid of "Chinglish" （Chinese English）．The "Language Mandarins" of Beijing have decided that Chinglish is a disease for China's modernizing claim and must be obliterated before the city hosts the Olympic Games in 2008．
A road sign on the Avenue of Eternal Peace （Chang'an Street） ,for example, advises: "To Take Notice of Safe; The Slippery Are Very Crafty", a warning that the sidewalk was slippery（滑）．Another sign in a Beijing park reads: "Little grass is smiling slightly, please walk on sidewalk．"
Li Honghai, the city official in charge of the battle, said," Linguistic perfection （语言美） is becoming increasingly important with the rise in the number of the foreigners flowing into the city．"
However, not everyone shares the disdain （蔑视） of the Beijing government for the mixed language．"The choice of words is pretty much．One can either choose the verbs, adverbs, nouns or whatever one likes," explained one Hong Kong linguist on an Internet website．
So many examples exist that several Internet sites have been set up to collect Chinglish phrases．Many come from English instructions on packages such as a candle marked with "Keep this candle out of children" and a model boat—curiously named Posh Sailboat—which means, "Please don't place it in dusty play．"
If the battle against Chinglish is successful, Chinese will also turn their attention to the English-language versions of newspapers, which play an even more important role in teaching right English．The underlined word "obliterated" refers to ．
| A．removed | B．exploited | C．translated | D．beautified |
From the passage, we know that
．
| A．everyone shares the disdain for the mixed language |
| B．Chinglish usually communicates in many cases |
| C．all the people don't share the disdain for the mixed language |
| D．several Internet sites have been set up to clear the Chinghsh phrases |
We can infer that the English language versions of newspapers _____．
| A．should report the battle above |
| B．should be paid more attention to |
| C．should collect more Chingliah phrases |
| D．should be in duty to teach normal English |
Which of the following signs is Chinglish?
Recently, a professor of philosophy in the United States has written a book called Money and the Meaning of Life．He has discovered that how we deal with money in our day-to-day life has more meaning than we usually think．One of the exercises he asked his students to do is to keep a record of every penny they spend for a week．From the way they spend their money, they can see what they really value in life．
He says our relation with ot
hers often become clearly defined when money enters the picture．You might have wonderful friendship with somebody and you think that you are very good friends．But you’ll know him only when you ask to lend you some money．If he does, it brings something to the relationship that seems stranger than ever before．Or it can suddenly weaken the relationship if he doesn’t．This person may say that he has a certain feeling, but if it is not carried out in the money world, there is something less real about it．
Since money is important to us, we consider those who possess a lot of it to be very important．The author interviewed some millionaires in researching his book．
Answer: The most surprising thing is why people give me so much respect．I’m nothing．I don’t know much．All I am is rich．
People just have an idea of making more and more money, but what is it for? How much do I need for any given purposes in my life? In this book, the professor uncovered an important need in modern society; to bring back the idea that money is an instrument rather than the end．Money plays an important role in the modern world, but expecting money to give happiness may be missing the meaning of life．According to the first paragraph, people haven’t realized __________．
| A．how important money is in their day-to-day life |
| B．how one spends money shows what is important to him |
| C．that money is more important than their philosophy of life |
| D．that their understanding of life is more important than money |
What can we learn about the millionaire from his answer in the interview is that.
| A．he does not feel that he is well -educated |
| B．he does not consider himself to be very successful |
| C．he does not think that he is a very important person |
| D．he does not think being rich deserves so much attention |
What does the American professor of philosophy want to explain in his book?
| A．Money is a means． | B．Money is everything． |
| C．Money is an end． | D．Money is unimportant． |
Which of the following might the author disagree?
| A．Money is important in modern society． |
| B．Wealth will surely bring the owner happiness． |
| C．The meaning of life doesn’t completely lie in money． |
| D．Happiness is not necessarily the result of wealth． |