English is spoken as a first language by most people in the USA，Britain，Australia，New Zealand，Ireland and Canada. However，English is spoken all over the world. It is the main language in over 60 countries，including India，Singapore and many of the Caribbean and Pacific islands. In these places English is often a second language.
English is also an international language in many other countries，like China and Japan. People in these countries use it for business，and travelers to these countries use English when they get there to communicate. Other people may learn English because they enjoy reading books in English，listening to British or American music or watching American films.
English has changed a lot over the years and still goes on changing. It is no longer right to talk about British English or American English if the speakers come or don’t come from those countries. People in Japan and Korea，for example，may use the American spelling but may not sound like Americans.
English will probably be the most widely used language in the world by the end of the 21st century. This language no longer belongs to British，American or Australian speakers. It belongs to anyone in the world. So，as a middle school student of English today, think about how you can use this language. After you leave school, you will almost certainly need it. In how many countries is English spoken as a first language in the passage?
| A．Five. | B．Four. | C．Three. | D．Six. |
In which other countries is English spoken as a main language?
| A．Britain, the USA and Australia. |
| B．India, Singapore and many of the Caribbean and Pacific islands. |
| C．China and Japan. |
| D．New Zealand and Canada. |
People from other countries learn English for ________.
| A．passing exams |
| B．business and traveling |
| C．reading English books, enjoying English music or films |
| D．both B and C |
Even if people in Japan and Korea use American spelling they ________.
| A．will speak the same as Americans |
| B．may not sound like Americans |
| C．will speak British English |
| D．will speak English much better |
Which is the best title for the passage?
| A．A First Language in the World | B．A Second Language in the World |
| C．English around the World | D．A Useful Language |
Books are our best friends. They are very quiet, but we can always find both fun and knowledge when we open them. We can find quite a lot of interesting things and ideas in books. Here are two good books you can read during the holiday.
To Succeed on One’ s Own
Writer Denny Liu who was born in China wrote this book for his daughter. It can help young people succeed.The book teaches you about students, how to use your free time and even what kind of clothes to wear. It answers many teenagers’ most common questions. Liu uses his daughter’ s stories as examples to help readers understand what to do and how to do it.
His book is far from boring. There are stories and dialogues, with hope and confidence from a good father.
The Little Prince（王子）
Both adults and children love this book. It is about the adventure(冒险) of a young prince. It shows the importance of imagination and love. The little prince comes from Planet B-612. The prince lives on his planet with a rose. He loves the rose very much. But he soon feels tired and leaves his planet. He meets many more strange adults on other planets.
On Earth, he discovers interesting things such as a snake, other roses and a fox. The fox tells him a secret: Only the heart can discover the most important things. This helps the prince realize his love for the rose and he goes back to his planet at last.What does the writer think of the book “To Succeed on One’ s Own” ?
| A．Difficult. | B．Interesting. |
| C．Surprising. | D．Boring. |
What does The Little Prince mainly talk about?
| A．The adult world. | B．The Planet B -612. |
| C．A rose and a fox. | D．The adventure of a young prince. |
What does the prince do after the fox tells him a secret?
| A．He realizes his love for the rose and he goes back to his planet at last. |
| B．He cares more about a flower and a sheep in his planet. |
| C．He meets many more strange adults on other planets. |
| D．He discovers interesting things such as a snake, other roses and a fox. |
E. Each family needs this product. You can use it to store meat, vegetables, fruits, drinks and medicine. It can keep them cool and fresh so that they will not go bad easily on hot days. |
Mrs. Smith has a bottle of medicine named 666 POWDER FOR COLD at home. Here is the instruction of it.
What kind of patients mustn’t take 666 POWDER FOR COLD ?
| A．The patients who have got a fever. |
| B．The patients who have got a cough. |
| C．The patients who have got a sore throat. |
| D．The patients who have got a heart disease. |
How many days can a bottle of 666 POWDER FOR COLD last for an adult patient at least?
| A．One day | B．Two days. |
| C．Three days | D．Six days. |
Mrs. Smith’s baby, John, six months old, has got a cold. What do you think she should do ?
| A．She should feed him 1/2 spoon of 666 POWDER FOR COLD three times a day |
| B．She should feed him 1 spoon of 666 POWDER FOR COLD three times a day. |
| C．She should take him to see a doctor and get to know what’s wrong with her son. |
| D．She should feed him 1/2 spoon of 666 POWDER FOR COLD only once |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Patients can take the 666 POWDER FOR COLD in February , 2015. |
| B．If patients take more than one spoon at a time, they need to see a doctor. |
| C．If patients don’t feel well after taking, they need to see a doctor. |
| D．Patients can’t use 666 POWDER FOR COLD for more than seven days. |
Laura Fagan is a British girl. She is 29 years old now. She has a special job. Her job is an offical cake-taster. She began to work two years ago. She loves her job very much. She needs to try as many as 20 desserts a day. She needs to travel to different cities to taste different desserts.
Although the job seems to be great, it is hard. Usually , Laura begins tasting desserts as early as 8 a.m., and is still tasting new desserts at 6 p.m. before she goes back home. Fortunately, the job hasn’t made her too fat. She only worries about her teeth.
“ Of course I was afraid of becoming fat when I started the job, so I try to do exercise as often as possible. The main thing is my teeth. I don't think my dentist would be happy if I told him what I do, so I try to brush my teeth as often as possible.” “When I tell people what I do, they say ‘ that’s the best job in the world’, and then they ask me what my favorite dessert is.”
Laura loves her job although it is hard. “ I can learn about new trends(趋势) in food. It is a hard job but someone has to do it.” she said.To be a cake-taste is to _________________.
| A．sell different cakes | B．make different cakes |
| C．taste different cakes | D．buy different cakes |
The underlined word “ Fortunately” means “ ________________”
| A．quickly | B．luckily |
| C．lovely | D．terribly |
Which of the following is TRUE ?
| A．Laura is very heavy because of her job. |
| B．Laura doesn’t love her job because it is hard. |
| C．Laura often works for a long time every day. |
| D．People all think Laura’s job is very tired. |
Mark Twain was a great writer. He was from the USA. He was born in 1835. He was also a famous speaker. He was famous for his sense of humour. Many people liked to listen to him talk because he liked to tell some interesting stories to make people laugh all the time.
One day Mark Twain was going to a small town because of his writing. Before he was going to leave, one of his friends said to him that there were always a lot of mosquitoes in the town and told him that he’d better not go there. Mark Twain waved (摇动) his hand and said, “It doesn’t matter. The mosquitoes are no relatives of mine. I don’t think they will come to visit me.”
After he arrived at the town, Mark Twain stayed in a small hotel near the station. He went into his room, but when he was just about to have a rest, quite a few mosquitoes flew about him. The waiters felt very sorry about that. “I’m very sorry, Mr Mark Twain. There are too many mosquitoes in our town.” One of them said to him.
Mark Twain, however, made a joke, saying to the waiter, “The mosquitoes are very clever. They know my room number. They didn’t come into the wrong room.” What he said made all the people present laugh heartily.
But that night Mark Twain slept well. Do you know why? That was because all the waiters in the hotel were driving the mosquitoes away for him during the whole night.That day Mark Twain went to the town _____.
A. to see one of his friends
B. because he wanted to do something there for his writing
C. because he was told there were a lot of mosquitoes thereThe waiters felt sorry because _____.
A. they did something wrong to Mark Twain
B. their hotel was too small
C. there were quite a few mosquitoes in Mark Twain’s room All the people present laughed heartily because _____.
A Mark Twain made a joke
B. the mosquitoes knew Mark Twain’s room number
C. Mark Twain gave the waiters some nice presentsFrom the story we know _____.
A. no mosquitoes troubled Mark Twain in the night
B. the owner of the hotel told the waiters to look after Mark Twain well at night
C. Mark Twain didn’t have a good rest that night