If you've been joining in chat room conversations, or trading e-mail with Web pals, you have become one of the millions who write in a peculiarly short form of English.
And you've got a sense of humor about short forms like SOHF(="sense" of humor failure) to describe Internet newcomers who don't understand you.
Across the globe, every night teenagers and their elders are “talking” online—many of them are talking at the same time.
It's fast: try talking to six people at once. It's brief: three or four words per exchange. It takes wit, concentration, and quick fingers.
And it requires tremendous linguistic economy. There's neither time nor space for explanations. Why consume precious key-strokes telling six friends you have to leave for a moment to take care of your little brother when BRB(="be" right back) will do? Want to enter a conversation? Just type PMFJI(="pardon" me for jumping in). Interested in whom you're talking to? Type A/S/L, the nearly universal request to know your pal's age, sex and location. You may get 15/M/NY as a response from your pal.
If something makes you laugh, say you're OTF(="on" the floor),or LOL(="laughing" out loud),or combine the two into ROTFL(="rolling" on the floor laughing).
And when it's time to get back to work or go to bed, you type GTG(="got" to go) or TTYL(talk to you later).
People want to write as fast as possible, and they want to get their ideas across as quickly as they can. Capital letters are left in the dust, except when expressing emotion, as it takes more time to hold down the “shift” key and capitals. Punctuation is going, too.In order to talk to several people at the same time on the Internet_______.
| A．you have to speak fast and fluently |
| B．you have to express your ideas in a brief way |
| C．you should speak with wit and humor |
| D．one should pay much attention to the accuracy of the words |
If you get 17/F/NY as an answer to your A/S/L, it means_______.
| A．the person on the other end is 17 from New York and he is fine |
| B．you are talking to a girl who is 17 and lives in New York |
| C．you are talking to 17 girls who are from New York |
| D．the person who are talking to you is a 1.7-foot tall New York girl |
To save time on the Internet_______.
| A．some people leave their letters in the dustbin |
| B．some people never use “shift” in their writing |
| C．many people leave the capital and punctuation |
| D．people seldom use capital letters or punctuation |
Last Thursday, I had the pleasure of visiting with Deputy Superintendent Pedro Martinez, Principal Neddy Alvarez and her staff at Western High School, located in the Clark County School District, in Las Vegas. The school undertook a comprehensive effort to completely transform the culture of the school and added a motivated group of talented teachers. Western altered（改变） the school day to add opportunities for students to get additional credits toward graduation and created smaller learning groups. As part of these comprehensive changes, the school’s leadership also focused on four main reforms to transform their school.
First, improvements started with the change in the relationship between the school and students to create a caring atmosphere at the school. Using the “Capturing Kids’ Hearts” strategies, school leadership and teachers began building a trusting environment and students and families described seeing changes aimed at improving student outcomes and ensuring the success of every student. The school day was altered to add more options for students to obtain additional credits toward graduation. Students and teachers were grouped into “houses,” so that smaller groups of teachers and counselors(辅导员)could create one-on-one relationships with students. Teachers and counselors said that the altered school day provides time to address student’s individual concerns and develop individualized learning plans to put every student on a path to graduation.
The school also made changes to encourage parents to support school and encourage real dialogues between parents and the teachers and leaders at Western. Funded in part through the United Way, the school created a family engagement center to get parents more involved in their children’s education, particularly parents of English language learners. Parents like Ally Gaona and Martha Mendez told me that they had a voice and the tools to engage in their children’s learning and that they recognize that the main responsibility for their children’s learning must rest with the parents. Parents were passionate about these positive changes and said that these changes signaled to the entire the community that the school was serious about family engagement.What is the main purpose of the passage?
| A．To attract people to the school. |
| B．To talk about the school reforms. |
| C．To introduce the school |
| D．To introduce the relationship between the school and students. |
How many main reforms are mentioned in the passage?
| A．Two | B．Three | C． Four | D．Five |
Students and teachers were grouped into “houses in order to ___.
| A．provide time to address student’s individual concerns. |
| B．add more options for students to obtain additional credits toward graduation.. |
| C．create one-on-one relationships with students. |
| D．develop individualized learning plans to put every student on a path to graduation. |
Which statement is the right according to the passage?
| A．Parents didn’t support the reforms. |
| B．The reforms intended to improve student outcomes and ensure the success of every student. |
| C．The school asked parents to donate their money. |
| D．the school was not serious about family engagement. |
While we are on the subject of crime, our listener question this week comes from Mohamad Firouzi in Iran. He wants to know about the history of Alcatraz Island and the prison that once operated there.
Alcatraz Island is in the harbor of San Francisco, California. It is best known for being a federal prison, which was also called “The Rock.” It was once the most famous prison in America.
Alcatraz was a military prison from the late eighteen fifties until the nineteen thirties. Then it became a federal prison for the country’s worst criminals. These included murderers, bank robbers and kidnappers. One of the main reasons federal officials chose Alcatraz Island to detain these prisoners was because they thought it would be impossible for prisoners to escape.
Cold, deep and dangerous waters surround the island. Also, the distance between the island and San Francisco is too far for most humans to swim. No prisoner was ever officially reported to have successfully escaped.
However, in nineteen sixty-two, three men broke out of the prison. Each man worked very hard at night for many months to cut through the stone wall of his cell. They made false heads out of paper, paint and hair. On the night of June eleventh, the men placed the heads in their beds to make it look as if they were sleeping. Then, the prisoners escaped through the holes in their cells to get to the water. The men were never seen or heard from again. It is believed that they drowned while trying to swim to San Francisco.
The prison closed in nineteen sixty-three because of the high cost of keeping prisoners there and the need for major repairs. The last prisoners were moved to other jails.
In nineteen seventy-two, the United States Congress passed a bill creating the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Alcatraz Island and the old prison are part of this area.
Each year, more than one million people visit Alcatraz to see the prisoners’ cells and listen to stories about the jail’s history. But unlike the prisoners who once lived there, visitors can escape from the prison whenever they want and return back across the harbor to San Francisco.The text mainly tells us________.
| A．about the history of Alcatraz Island and the prison there. |
| B．about the history of Alcatraz Island. |
| C．about a military prison. |
| D．about the subject of crime. |
Why did federal officials make Alcatraz the most famous prison in America?
| A．Because no prisoner successfully escaped from the prison. |
| B．Because Alcatraz was Alcatraz Island. |
| C．Because Alcatraz was a military prison. |
| D．Because cold, deep and dangerous waters surround the island. |
Paragraph 5 is written to ________.
| A．tell us the three prisoners escaped the prison. |
| B．prove prisoners couldn’t successfully escape from the prison . |
| C．tell us how prisoners escaped the prison. |
| D．tell us the three prisoners could make false heads out of paper, paint and hair. |
Now Alcatraz ________.
| A．is a place of interest . |
| B．detains some prisoners. |
| C．is where the United States Congress is. |
| D．is still the most famous prison. |
Human beings have a natural desire to explore the unknown. People with a strong interest in space like to say it is the last place left to explore. But scientists are warning that space exploration for long periods is not going to be easy. They say the human body is not designed to stay in space over an extended period.
The New York Times recently published a report about scientists who are preparing astronauts for a trip to the Moon. The newspaper said the scientists want to make sure that their crews return home in good health. But there are many problems to be solved before people are ready for long trips to the Moon, an asteroid or even the planet Mars.
Humans developed on a planet with a surface that is more than 70 percent water. Our bodies are also about 70 percent water. When there is no gravity that water moves up toward the head, raising pressure in the skull. Arms and legs grow weaker at what is called zero gravity because they no longer need to push against the force of gravity.
Five years ago, astronauts who spent weeks in space reported a change in their eyesight. These astronauts were members of the crew on the International Space Station. Research showed a change in the shape of their eyes. Normally-round eyeballs had become flat during time in space. The research also showed that the right eye was affected more than the left, and that men were more affected than women. Scientists could not find an explanation for the differences.
Bone loss was one of the problems first reported by astronauts returning to Earth after longer stays in space. So scientists designed exercise machines to use on the space station. Tests showed that the exercise equipment helped space travelers keep their bones almost as strong as when they left Earth.
There are other health issues for astronauts who spend a long time in space. They may have problems eating and sleeping. But the biggest health issue is exposure to radiation. On Earth, human beings are protected by the atmosphere and the planet's magnetic field. In outer space, there is no such protection.What is the main idea of the passage？
| A．Long periods in space will affect the health of astronauts. |
| B．Scientists are trying to find out how to protect astronauts. |
| C．Space is dangerous to human beings. |
| D．People shouldn’t explore space. |
What will happen to human bodies in space？
| A．Arms and legs grow stronger at what is called zero gravity |
| B．Blood moves up toward the head. |
| C．Pressure in the skull will be raised. |
| D．All of the above. |
The following are problems mentioned in the passage Except________.
| A．bone loss | B．loss of water | C．eyesight | D．exposure to radiation |
Why did scientists design exercise machines to use on the space station?
| A．To make sure that their crews return home in good health. |
| B．To help astronauts keep their bones almost as strong as when they left Earth. |
| C．To help astronauts get ready for long trips to the Moon, an asteroid or even the planet Mars. |
| D．To let astronauts adapt to the environment of space. |
What is true according to the passage?
| A．The biggest health issue is exposure to Sunshine. |
| B．Research showed a change in the size of their eyes. |
| C．The right eye was affected less than the left. |
| D．Men were more affected than women. |
My grandma whom we all called Nanny was a solid, first-generation, Italian immigrant. She came to this country with her family on a tiny ship during World War I when she was only 8 years old. During the trip she survived stormy seas，little food, and an attack by a German U-boat. After getting here, her large family worked hard to build a new life in America. They never had much money but were rich in love.
One day, when I was about 5 or 6 years old, my parents and brothers went on a trip. It was just me and Nanny in the house for the weekend. Nanny seemed so happy to be taking care of me all by herself. She made me a special breakfast that first morning. However, all I could do was to complain about how the food was not how Mom always made it. Nanny quietly put down the plate and went into the living room. I followed a minute later and saw that she had tears in her eyes. It was the first time I had ever seen my strong and proud grandmother cry and I was
the one who had caused it
I walked over to Nanny, climbed on her lap, and for the first time in my short life I did something else too. I apologized without being told to and asked Nanny to forgive me. She smiled, rubbed my head, and told me I was a good boy even though I didn't feel like one then.
That memory just like my Nanny's love will stay in my heart forever. It is a sign of both strength and wisdom. Asking for forgiveness helps us to learn, to grow, and to love.When did Nanny come to this country?
| A．DuringWorldWar II，Nanny come to America. |
| B．When she was 5，Nanny come to America. |
| C．When she was 8，Nanny come to America. |
| D．When she was 6，Nanny come to America. |
What did Nanny survived during the trip?
| A．stormy seas and an attack. |
| B．stormy seas and little food. |
| C．little food and an attack. |
| D．stormy seas, little food and an attack. |
According to the passage, what kind of person is Nanny?
| A．She is narrow-minded and lovely. |
| B．She is strong and pround. |
| C．She is kind-hearted and fragil. |
| D．She is rich and proud. |
My grandma cried one day because___________.
| A．my parents didn’t have her travel with them. |
| B．I didn’t have the special breakfast that my grandma made. |
| C．I complained about her breakfast not as good as my mother’s. |
| D．she wasn’t happy to take care of me all by herself. |
What did I learn from the experience?
| A．My Nanny's love will stay in my heart forever. |
| B．We should learn to apologize to the old. |
| C．Life is not easy for grandma. |
| D．Asking for forgiveness helps us to learn, to grow and to love. |
Before you argue with your boss, check with the boss’s secretary to determine his mood. If he ate nails for breakfast, it is not a good idea to ask him for something. Even without the boss’s secretary, there are keys to timing: don’t approach the boss when he’s on deadline; don’t go in right before lunch, when he is apt to be distracted and rushed; don’t go in just before or after he has taken a vacation.
If you’re mad, that will only make your boss mad. Calm down first. And don’t let a particular concern open the floodgates for all your accumulated frustration. The boss will feel that you think negatively about the company and it is hopeless trying to change your mind. Then, maybe he will dismiss you.
Terrible disputes can result when neither the employer nor the employee knows what is the problem the other wants to discuss. Sometimes the fight will go away when the issues are made clear. The employee has to get his point across clearly in order to make the boss understand it.
Your boss has enough on his mind without your adding more. If you can’t put forward an immediate solution, at least suggest how to approach the problem. People who frequently present problems without solutions to their boss may soon find they can’t get past the secretary.
To deal effectively with a boss, it’s important to consider his goals and pressures. If you can put yourself in the position of being a partner to the boss, then he will be naturally more inclined to work with you to achieve your goals.What is the main idea of the fourth paragraph?
| A．Present problems. |
| B．Propose your solution. |
| C．Put yourself in the boss’s position. |
| D．Make the issue clear. |
If you want to ask the boss for anything, it is important to find out first _________.
| A．how he is feeling. |
| B．whether the boss had breakfast. |
| C．whether he is on deadline. |
| D．whether he had taken a vacation. |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．How to Propose Your Solution. |
| B．Never Give in to Your Boss. |
| C．How to Argue with Your Boss. |
| D．Learn to Understand Your Boss. |
From the passage, we can infer that_____________.
| A．you don’t go into the boss’s office when you are angry |
| B．you can present the boss with a problem only. |
| C．when you offer advice to your boss, don’t think of the troubles he may have. |
| D．when you go into the boss’s office, keep your voice all the time. |
It is necessary to make clear to the boss ___________.
| A．what problems he has. |
| B．why you are mad. |
| C．what position you are in the company. |
| D．what you really want to talk to him about |