If English is not your first language, it is a good idea to take English language classes to improve your written and spoken communication skills. There are many ways to learn English. You can learn from a book, a DVD, on the Internet or by attending classes. One of the most successful ways to improve your English is to join a course in a country where English is widely spoken. The more you practice, the more you will learn. But why learn the English language? English is an important language for anyone who is planning to travel or become involved in business.
Many people love travelling, but if their English is poor, it can be difficult to understand signs, read directions and make themselves understood. Before travelling, it is important to understand the culture and customs of the places you visit. Learning basic English before you travel will help you to understand these customs and avoid mistakes that could be embarrassing. When you are travelling, you will also enjoy meeting new people. If you can speak English, you will have a better chance of being able to communicate with the people you meet. Many of your new friends will speak English and others will have English as a second language. Without English, your friendships will be limited as you travel around the world.
If you are involved in business, it is important to be able to communicate in English. The Internet, world travel and modern communication systems have made the world seem like a much smaller place. These days business people interact with customers and other business people from all over the world. That makes your English language skills more important than ever. There are many English language courses that major in business communications. Improving your English skills is one of the best things you could ever do to increase your chances of business success.What kind of people is English important to according to the passage?
| A．Travelers. | B．Teachers. | C．Students. | D．Language experts. |
Which of the following is the best way to learn English well?
| A．Travelling around the world with English-speakers. |
| B．Taking a course in an English-speaking country. |
| C．Learning from all kinds of books or DVDs. |
| D．Learning on the Internet by yourselves. |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT the aim of learning basic English?
| A．To research the causes of cultural differences. |
| B．To understand the customs of your destination. |
| C．To avoid embarrassing mistakes on your journey. |
| D．To have more opportunities to communicate with others. |
What is the main idea of the third paragraph?
| A．The more you practice, the more you will learn. |
| B．Doing business helps to improve your communication skills. |
| C．English is important for anyone who is involved in business. |
| D．The Internet has made the world become smaller and smaller. |
We can infer from the passage that _____.
| A．learning English well will make you achieve goals more easily |
| B．learning English only aims at achieving business success |
| C．without learning English, your friendships will be limited wherever you are |
| D．you needn’t learn English if you don’t want to travel |
If you look for a book as a present for a child, you will be spoiled for choice even in a year when there is no new Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling’s wizard is not alone: the past decade has been a harvest for good children’s books, which has set off a large quantity of films and in turn led to increased sales of classics such as The Lord of the Rings.
Yet despite that, reading is increasingly unpopular among children. According to statistics, in 1997 23% said they didn’t like reading at all. In 2003, 35% did. And around 6% of children leave primary school each year unable to read properly.
Maybe the decline is caused by the increasing availability（可利用性）of computer games. Maybe the books boom（繁荣）has affected only the top of the educational pile. Either way, Chancellor Gordon Brown plans to change things for the bottom of the class. In his pre-budget（预算） report, he announced the national project of Reading Recovery to help the children struggling most.
Reading Recovery is aimed at six-year-olds, who receive four months of individual daily half- hour classes with a specially trained teacher. An evaluation earlier this year reported that children on the scheme made 20 months’ progress in just one year, whereas similarly weak readers without special help made just five months’ progress, and so ended the year even further below the level expected for their age.
International research tends to find that when British children leave primary school they read well, but read less – often for fun than those elsewhere. Reading for fun matters because children who are keen on（热衷） reading can expect lifelong pleasure and loving books is an excellent indicator（指示物）of future educational success. According to the OECD, being a regular and enthusiastic reader is of great advantage.Which of the following is true of Paragraph 1?
| A．Many children’s books have been adapted from films. |
| B．Many high-quality children’s books have been published. |
| C．The sales of classics have led to the popularity of films. |
| D．The sales of presents for children have increased. |
Statistics suggested that ___.
| A．the number of top students increased with the use of computers. |
| B．a decreasing number of children showed interest in reading. |
| C．a minority of primary school children read properly. |
| D．a large percentage of children read regularly. |
What do we know about Reading Recovery?
| A．An education of it will be made sometime this year. |
| B．Weak readers on the project were the most hardworking. |
| C．It aims to train special teachers to help children with reading. |
| D．Children on the project showed noticeable progress in reading. |
Reading for fun is important because book-loving children ____.
| A．takes greater advantage of the project. |
| B．shows the potential to enjoy a long life. |
| C．is likely to succeed in their education. |
| D．would make excellent future researchers. |
The aim of this text would probably be ____.
| A．to overcome primary school pupils’ reading difficulty. |
| B．to encourage the publication of more children’s books. |
| C．to remind children of the importance of reading for fun. |
| D．to introduce a way to improve early childhood reading. |
It was the summer of 1965. Deluca, then 17, visited Peter Buck, a family friend. Buck asked Deluca about his plan for the future. “I’m going to college, but I need a way to pay for it,” Deluca recalls saying. “Buck said, ‘you should open a sandwich shop.’”
That afternoon, they agreed to be partners. And they set a goal: to open 32 stores in ten years. After doing some research, Buck wrote a check for $ 1,000. Deluca rented a storefront (店面) in Connecticut, and when they couldn’t cover their start-up costs, Buck kicked in another $1,000.
But business didn’t go smoothly as they expected. Deluca says, “After six months, we were doing poorly, but we didn’t know how badly, because we didn’t have any financial controls.” All he and Buck knew was that their sales were lower than their costs.
Deluca was managing the store and to the University of Bridgeport at the same time. Buck was working at his day job as a nuclear physicist in New York. They’d meet Monday evenings and brainstorm ideas for keeping the business running. “We convinced ourselves to open a second store. We figured we could tell the public, ‘We are so successful, we are opening a second store.’” And they did — in the spring of 1966. Still, it was a lot of learning by trial and error.
But the partners’ learn-as-you-go approach turned out to be their greatest strength. Every Friday, Deluca would drive around and hand-deliver the checks to pay their supplies. “It probably took me two and a half hours and it wasn’t necessary but as a result, the suppliers got to know me very well, and the personal relationships established really helped out,” Deluca says.
And having a goal was also important. “There are so many problems that can get you down. You just have to keep working toward your goal,” Deluca adds.
Deluca ended up founding Subways Sandwich, the multimillion-dollar restaurant chain. Deluca opened the first sandwich shop in order to ________.
| A．support his family | B．pay for his college education |
| C．help his partner expand business | D．do some research |
Which of the following is true of Buck?
| A．He put money into the sandwich business. |
| B．He was a professor of business administration. |
| C．He was studying at the University of Bridgeport. |
| D．He rented a storefront for Deluca. |
What can we learn about their first shop?
| A．It stood at an unfavorable place. |
| B．It lowered the prices to poor management. |
| C．It made no profits due to poor management. |
| D．It lacked control over the quality of sandwich. |
They decided to open a second store because they _________.
| A．had enough money to do it |
| B．had succeeded in their business |
| C．wished to meet the increasing demand of customers |
| D．wanted to make believe（假装）that they were successful |
What contributes most to their success according to the author?
| A．Learning by trial and error. | B．Making friends with supplies. |
| C．Finding a good partner. | D．Opening chain stores. |
Sometimes children do not do what their parents tell them to do. When this happens, a parent tries to help the child to do the right thing. When this does not work, the parent usually punishes the child.
There are many things that a parent can do. One thing that people have done is to spank (打屁股) the child. When a parent spanks a child, they will use their hand or a hard object to strike them on their bottom. This is meant to show the child that they have done something wrong.
One parent remembers being spanked when he was a child. His parents used a wooden spoon. When he spanked his own children with his hand, he saw that he put a red mark on his child’s leg. He never did that again.
One problem with spanking is that it teaches the child to hit someone when they do not like what the other person is doing. Another problem with spanking is that the parent is usually angry and can hit the child too hard. Sometimes parents will use spanking for everything and not try other ways to get the child to do the right thing.
Many parents are not sure of what to do instead of spanking. Some people think that their religion tells them that spanking is okay. Some think that the law lets them do it. The courts (法院) say that parents have the right to teach their children how to behave.
Other things should be tried before a parent decides to spank a child. Telling the child exactly what is wanted from them can be one thing. Giving a
child more than one choice is another thing that can be tried. Getting down to the child’s level and taking a more child-friendly approach (方法) can help as well.According to the passage, when children do something wrong, one thing that parents usually do to punish them is to ________.
| A．strike them on the bottom | B．try to help them do the right thing |
| C．teach them what to do | D．take them to court |
Which of the following is NOT the problem caused by spanking?
| A．It teaches the child to hit others when they offend（使人不快） him or her. |
| B．The parent may get angry and hit the child too hard. |
| C．Sometimes parents may use spanking for everything. |
| D．It makes parents try other ways to make the child do right. |
Which of
the following can best describe the writer’s attitude towards spanking?
| A．favorable | B．indiffe rent |
C．interested | D．unfavorable |
From this passage, we can conclude that ________.
| A．Good children always do the right thing. |
| B．Parents should try their best to avoid spanking their children. |
| C．Parents have no choice but to spank their children when they do something wrong. |
| D．Children can have more than one choice to avoid being spanked. |
Do you want to improve the way you study? Do you feel nervous before a test? M
any students say that a lack of concentration (注意力) is their biggest problem. It seriously affects their ability to study, so do their test results.
If so, use these tips to help you.
Study Techniques
lYou should always study in the same place. You shouldn’t sit in a position that you use for another purpose. For example, when you sit on a sofa to study, your brain will think it is time to relax. Don’t watch TV while you are studying. Experts warn that your concentration may be reduced by 50 percent if you attempt to study in this way. Always try to have a white wall in front of you, so there is nothing to distract (make less concentrated) you. Before sitting down to study, gather together all the equipment you need. Apart from your textbooks, pens, pencils and knives, make sure you have a dictionary. If your study desk or table is needed when you are not studying, store all your equipment in
a box beside it.
lYour eyes will become tired if you try to read a text which is on a flat surface. Position your book 
at an angle of 30 degrees.
lBe realistic and don’t try to complete too much in on
e study period. Finish one thing before beginning another. If you need a break, get up and walk around for a few minutes, but 
try not to telephone a friend or have something to eat.
Test-taking Skills
lAll your hard work will be for nothing if you are too nervous to take your test. Getting plenty of
rest is very important. This means do not study all night before your test! It is a better idea to have a long-term study plan. Try to make a timetable for your study which lasts for a few months.
lExercise is a great way to reduce pressure. Doing some form of exercise every day will also
improve your concentration. Eat healthy food too.
lWhen you arrive in the examination room, find your seat and sit down. Breathe slowly and
deeply. Check the time on the clock during the test, but not too often. Above all, take no notice of everyone else and give the test paper your undivided attention.Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．You should study in a different place every day, so you don’t get bored. |
| B．Your concentration will improve if you study and watch TV at the same time. |
| C．Check the time during the exam at a certain time. |
| D．Staying up all night and studying is tiring, but you will learn a lot using this method. |
What does the underlined word “it”（paragraph 2）refer to?
| A．Your study desk or table. | B．Your textbook. |
| C．Your dictionary. | D．The equipment you need. |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．You shouldn’t look at everyone else during the test. |
| B．You will have enough energy to deal with your study and exams by eating healthy diet. |
| C．You’ll concentrate more if there is nothing to distract you. |
| D．If you feel tired during study, you can walk around for a few minutes. |
Birds don’t need lessons in building nests. Fish don’t need coaching to learn how to swim. All animals have instincts. They’re born with natural abilities to do certain things. Wild animals also learn by copying their parents and practicing. And pets learn through training.
But instincts and training aren’t the only keys to animals’ behavior. Scientists say animals’ thoughts and feelings also influence their actions. Animals often make choices, plans, and sensible changes. They can help others and solve problems. Some even make and use tools!
If animals could talk, what would they say about their thoughts and feelings? A gorilla (大猩猩) born in captivity (关在笼子里) has helped answer that question. Koko, a gorilla, was taught to use sign language . She has learned hundreds of words!
Koko once had a pet cat she named All Ball. “Koko love Ball,” she signed. “Soft good cat.” One time, she blamed the cat for biting her by signing “You bad dirty toilet!” When her pet died, Koko cried. “Sad for sleeping cat,” she signed.
Koko calls herself“fine animal gorilla”. She uses sign language to argue, joke
, and ask and answer questions.
“Most animals can’t use words to tell us their thoughts,” says Dr. Jonathan Balcombe. “But Koko shows us that animals have their own ideas and feelings.” Dr. Balcombe is a scientist at the Humane Society of the United States. He says there’s even more to discover about animals through field studies. In field studies, people watch animals in their natural environment.
“Scientists who study animals’ natural behaviors learn how animals live and think,” Balcombe says. “That knowledge can help others respect every animal who shares the planet with us.”The underlined word “instincts” in the first paragraph probably refers to the ability that _____.
| A．animals copy their parents | B．animals learn by practicing |
| C．animals are born with | D．animals learn throu gh training |
