The number of speakers of English in Shakespeare’s time is estimated(估计) to have been about five million. Today it is estimated that some 260 million people speak it as a native language, mainly in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. In addition to the standard varieties of English found in these areas, there are a great many regional and social varieties of the language as well as various levels of usage that are employed both in its spoken and written forms.
In fact, it is impossible to estimate the number of people in the world who have acquired an adequate(足够的) working knowledge of English in addition to their own languages. The purpose for English learning and the situations in which such learning takes place are so varied that it is difficult to explain and still more difficult to judge what forms an adequate working knowledge for each situation.
The main reason for the widespread demand for English is its present-day importance as a world language. Besides serving the indefinite needs of its native speakers, English is a language in which some of important works in science, technology, and other fields are being produced, and not always by native speakers. It is widely used for such purposes as meteorological(气象的) and airport communications, international conferences, and the spread of information over the radio and television networks of many nations. It is a language of wider communication for a number of developing countries, especially former British colonies. Many of these countries have multilingual populations and need a language for internal communication in such matters as government, commerce, industry, law and education as well as for international communication and for entrance to the scientific and technological developments in the West. What would be the best title for this passage?
A.The Difficulties of Learning English |
B.International Communications |
C.The Standard Varieties of English |
D.English as a World Language |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A.Some 260 million people in the world have an adequate working knowledge of English. |
B.There are some 260 million native speakers of English in the world. |
C.It is almost impossible to estimate the number of people with an adequate working knowledge of English. |
D.People learn English for a variety of reasons. |
According to the passage, what is the main reason for the widespread use of English?
A.It was popular during Shakespeare’s time. |
B.It is used in former British colonies. |
C.It serves the needs of its native speakers. |
D.It is a world language that is used for international communication. |
What forms an adequate working knowledge of English?
A.The ability to read a newspaper. |
B.Being able to speak several languages. |
C.It is difficult to judge because it differs for each situation. |
D.Being a native speaker. |
What type of developing countries would be most likely to use English?
A.Those geographically close to the United States. |
B.Those interested in the culture of the United States. |
C.Former colonies of Great Britain. |
D.Countries where international conferences are held. |
Organizing Yourself
Many new students find it hard to do all the study that has to be done; they find themselves putting off reading assignment, jumping from subject to another and rarely being quite certain what they are trying to do during a particular study session. The best way to overcome these difficulties and to start studying efficiently is to plan your time and organize your work. Let us suppose that you have 15 hours per week of classes and that you decide to allow yourself a 40—hour working week (a reasonable figure ,leaving you 70 waking hours for other activities).
You now have to decide how to divide the remaining 25 hours of private study .Naturally the decisions you make will change from week to week according to what essays have to be written and what reading has to be done. Many people find it helpful to draw up each week a seven—day timetable showing the occasions on which they will be working privately and the particular subjects that will be studying on each occasion .By checking such a plan at times during the week ,you can see what you have done and what you have still to do :the whole plan become more manageable .There are a number of places where you can study—college library ,public library ,home ,empty classrooms ,on bus or train –and each has several obvious advantages and disadvantages .The college library is least busy in the evening , on Wednesday afternoon ,and all day Friday and Saturday.
When you are deciding where to study ,keep the following suggestions in mind:
● Try to study always in the same place .After a while the familiar surroundings will help you to switch into the right frame of mind as soon as you sit down.
● Find somewhere with as few distractions as possible.
● Make sure that your study place has a good light and is warm (but not too warm )
and well aired.
71.Many new students find it hard .
A.to make a good plan B.to study efficiently
C.to delay their reading D.to jump from subject to subject
72.What’s the main idea of this passage?
A.Plan your time and organize your work. B.Overcome your difficulties.
C.Be certain what you can do . D.Find a quiet place for study.
73.A student’s organization of his work will need to change according to .
A.how many hours he is awake B.how many subjects are required
C.how many lectures he misses D.what he has to write and read that week
74.A student is advised to make a weekly plan and to check it from time to time in order to .
A.see whether he has calculated it properly
B.see what day of the week is
C.see what work still needs doing
D.see how he feels at the whole week
75.Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a place where you can study?
A.The bus B.The train C.Home D.A public house
Today just as technology changed the face of industry, farms have undergone an “agricultural”. On the farm of today, machines provide almost all the power. One of the most important benefits will be the farm computer. A few forward-looking farmers are already using computers to help them run their farms more efficiently. The computers help them keep more accurate records so they can make better decisions on what crops to plant, how much livestock to buy, when to sell their products, and how much profit they can expect. Many computer companies have been developing special computer programs just for farmers. Programs are being written for hog(肉猪) producers, grain farmers, potato farmers. In the future, farmers will be able to purchase computer programs made to their needs.
Because of the growing importance of computers on the farm, students at agricultural colleges are required to take computer classes in addition to their normal agricultural courses. There can be no doubt that farmers will rely on computers even more in the future. While the old-time farm depended on horse power, and modern farms depend on machine power, farms of the future will depend on computer power.
Another technological advance which is still in the experimental stage is the robot, a real “mechanized hired hand” that will be able to move and, in some ways, think like a human being. Agricultural engineers believe that computer-aided robots will make shocking changes in farming before the end of the century. Unlike farmers of the present, farmers of the future will find that many day-to-day tasks will be done for them. Scientists are now developing robots that will be able to shear(修剪) sheep, drive tractors, and harvest fruit. Even complex jobs will be done by robots. For example, in order to milk their cows, farmers must first drive them into the barn, then connect them to the milking machines, watch the machines, and disconnect them when they are finished. In the future, this will all be done by robots. In addition, when the milking is completed, the robots will automatically check to make sure that the milk is pure. The complete change of the farm is far in the future, but engineers expect that some robots will be used before long.
67.According to the passage, computers can not help farmers decide _______.
A.how much money they can earn from their products
B.whether to plant a certain kind of crop
C.when to sell their products
D.what livestock to raise
68.Which of the following statements is true?
A.Farmers in the future will depend totally on computers.
B.Farmers mainly use machines on their farms at present.
C.Both computers and robots have been in use on today’s farms.
D.Students at agricultural colleges must take computer classes because they can do nothing without the help of computers on today’s farms.
69.According to the engineers, will be done by robots in the near future.
A.all farm work B.milking cows
C.some farm work D.most of the farm work
70.What is the best title for the whole passage?
A.Computer, Farmers’ Best Friend B.The Agricultural Revolution
C.Farmers in The Future D.Computers and Robots
Anyone who cares about what schools and colleges teach and how their students learn will be interested in the memoir (回忆录) of Ralph W. Tyler, who is one of the most famous men in American education.
Born in Chicago in 1902, brought up and schooled in Nebraska, the 19-year-old college graduate Ralph Tyler became hooked on teaching while teaching as a science teacher in South Dakota and changed his major from medicine to education.
Graduate work at the University of Chicago found him connected with honorable educators Charles Judd and W. W. Charters, whose ideas of teaching and testing had an effect on his later work. In 1927, he became a teacher of Ohio State University where he further developed a new method of testing.
Tyler became well-known nationally in 1938, when he carried his work with the Eight-Year Study from Ohio State University to the University of Chicago at the invitation of Robed Hutchins.
Tyler was the first director of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford, a position he held for fourteen years. There, he firmly believed that researchers should be free to seek an independent(独立的)spirit in their work.
Although Tyler officially retired in 1967, he never actually retired. He served on a long list of educational organizations in the United States and abroad. Even in his 80s he traveled across the country to advise teachers and management people on how to set objectives (目标) that develop the best teaching and learning within their schools.
64.Who are most probably interested in Ralph W. Tyler’s memoir?
A.Top managers. B.Language learners.
C.Serious educators. D.Science organizations.
65.The words “hooked on teaching” underlined in Paragraph 2 probably mean ______
A.attracted to teaching B.tired of teaching
C.satisfied with teaching D.unhappy about teaching
66.Where did Tyler work as the leader of a research center for over 10 years?
A.The University of Chicago. B.Stanford University.
C.Ohio State University. D.Nebraska University.
Michael Newman is trying to get ahead to provide for his family. He is a talented architect who willingly takes on projects with impossible deadlines in order to please his boss Ammer and secure a partnership in the firm. But all work and no play mean that Michael is missing spending time with the family. His wife Donna is trying to be available for swim meets, camping trips, tree house completion and some good old days. Ben and Samantha are his adoring children who just want to play with their dad.
After yet another long day filled with frustrations, Michael goes in search of a universal remote (万能遥控器) so that he can at least be in control of his TV. Only one store is open: Bed, Bath and Beyond – where he gets a very special universal remote.
There is a lot of power in Michael’s new toy; he can revisit old scenes from his past, put people on mute (无声的) and fast forward through the boring parts. He turns off the volume each time he argues with his wife. He fast – forwards through a boring family dinner. He skips ahead to avoid a bad cold. He jumps to the chapter where he gets a promotion. It’s all really great until the remote begins to use some of the specially programmed features – the remote starts predicting when Michael will use it, automatically hurtling (猛扔) him beyond life’s difficult and mundane moments. But most of our lives are difficult and mundane, so Michael is forced to travel years into the future. Eventually, he realizes the family dog has died and been replaced by another, that his kids have grown up, that his wife is married to someone else, and that he weighs 400 pounds. It happened while he wasn’t paying attention.
The movie is being sold as a comedy, but it essentially involves a workaholic who uses the universal remote to skip over all the bad things in his life and discovers in the process that he is missing life itself.
60.Why did Michael Newman decide to buy a universal remote?
A.To make his boss happy
B.To remember his life in the past
C.To see what his future life would be like
D.To escape from the hardships of his life
61.The underlined word “mundane” in the third paragraph means .
A.interesting B.exciting C.boring D.abandoned
62.What can we infer from the story?
A.Michael is unable to support his family.
B.Michael has some difficulties in his job now.
C.The remote can help Michael do many things.
D.Michael is an irresponsible man.
63.The main purpose of the passage is to .
A.remind us to live a real life B.persuade us to buy the remote
C.encourage us to work hard D.make us feel relaxed from work
第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题,每题3分,满分60分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项。
www.bigisland. ong
One of the best Hawaiian travel sites – easy to use, and packed with a full – service menu: accommodations, activities (including description of individual beaches and golf courses), tours, and a section on the island’s volcanic personality – all with links for further information. Developed by the island’s visitors organization, it’s the best overall website on the Big island.
www.nps.gov/havo
A must – read for anyone planning to do some volcano visiting. At first glance, this Naticnal Park Service website for Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is little more than a quick overview (总览), but click on the blue “In - depth” button for the full story. It is packed with both useful travel tips and advice that could even save your life; Read the well – illustrated section, “Viewing Lava(熔岩):Common Sense is Not Enough.” On a lighter note, the pages detail hiking trails throughout the park, with fine government maps and background on the wildlife. See the links page for three other, lesser – known NPS parks on the island. A superb site.
www.konaweb.com
Everything from a visitors’ guide to tips if you are planning a move to the islands, with numerous links. The overview of the island (and especially the beach scenery)
is worth a stop.
www.interpac.net/mtbike
First stop for mountain bikers. Produced by the island’s mountain bike association, it includes descriptions and maps for 10 public off – road trails and contacts for local bike shops.
www.Hawaii.gov/dlnr/dsp/hawaii.html
Brief illustrated guide to the island’s state parks, from the Hawaiian Department of Land and Natural Resources.
www.Coffeetimes.com
If you can resist the Kona coffee pages for a moment, check out the “Alternative Guide to the Big Island” at the bottom of the page. Also some interesting Big Island Links.
56.This passage is a(n) .
A.collection of travel links B.introduction of mountain travel
C.suggestion of travel outside D.collection of traveling pictures
57.If you want to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the islands, you can land the following website EXCEPT .
A.www.konaweb.com B.www.interpac.net/mtbike
C.www.nps.gov/havo D.www.Hawaii.gov/dlnr/dsp/hawaii.html
58.If a tourise wants to visit a dead volcano, he can .
A.go to the Hawaiian Department of Land
B.have a dip into the links of the Big Island
C.go to Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park
D.follow the off – road trails of mountain bikers
59.From the passage, we can infer that .
A.it is very dangerous to visit the Big Island
B.all the links belong to the same website
C.Coffeetimes has accesses to the Big Island website
D.the writer encourages travelers in mountain biking