It is widely known that any English conversation begins with The Weather.Such a fixation with the weather finds expression in Dr.Johnson’s famous comment that“When two English meet，their first talk is of weather.”Though Johnson’s observation is as accurate now as it was over two hundred years ago，most commentators fail to come up with a convincing explanation for this English weatherspeak.
Bill Bryson，for example，concludes that，as the English weather is not at all exciting，the obsession with it can hardly be understood.He argues that“To an outsider，the most striking thing about the English weather is that there is not very much of it.” Simply，the reason is that the unusual and unpredictable weather is almost unknown in the British Isles.
Jeremy Paxman，however，disagrees with Bryson，arguing that the English weather is by nature attractive.Bryson is wrong，he says，because the English preference for the weather has nothing to do with the natural phenomena.“The interest is less in the phenomena themselves，but in uncertainty.”According to him，the weather in England is very changeable and uncertain and it attracts the English as well as the outsider.
Bryson and Paxman stand for common misconceptions about the weatherspeak among the English.Both commentators，somehow，are missing the point.The English weather conversation is not really about the weather at all.English weatherspeak is a system of signs，which is developed to help the speakers overcome the natural reserve and actually talk to each other.Everyone knows conversations starting with weatherspeak are not requests for weather data.Rather，they are routine greetings，conversation starters or the blank “fillers”．In other words，English weatherspeak is a means of social bonding.The author mentions Dr.Johnson’s comment to show that________.
| A．most commentators agree with Dr.Johnson |
| B．Dr.Johnson is famous for his weather observation |
| C．the comment was accurate two hundred years ago |
| D．English conversations usually start with the weather |
What does the underlined word “obsession” most probably refer to?
| A．A social trend. |
| B．An emotional state. |
| C．A historical concept. |
| D．An unknown phenomenon. |
According to the passage，Jeremy Paxman believes that________.
| A．Bill Bryson has little knowledge of the weather |
| B．there is nothing special about the English weather |
| C．the English weather attracts people to the British Isles |
| D．English people talk about the weather for its uncertainty |
What is the author’s main purpose of writing the passage?
| A．To explain what English weatherspeak is about. |
| B．To analyse misconceptions about the English weather. |
| C．To find fault with both Bill Bryson and Jeremy Paxman. |
| D．To convince people that the English weather is changeable. |
Wugging, or web-use giving, describes the act of giving to charity at no cost to the user. By using Everyclick.com, which is being added to a number of university computers across the UK, students can raise money every time they search, but it won’t cost them a penny.
Research shows that students are extremely passionate about supporting charity — 88% of full time students have used the Internet to give to charity. This figure is high considering this age group is often the least likely to have their own income. 19% of 22 to 24 year olds have short-term debts of more than £5,000. With rising personal debt levels in this age group, due to university tuition fees or personal loans and a lack of long-term savings, traditional methods of donating to charity are often not appealing or possible.
Beth Truman, a 21 year old recent university graduate, has used everyclick.com to donate to her chosen charity, the RSPCA, for two years and has seen the “wugging” grow in popularity with students. “When you’re at university you become more socially aware, but it’s sometimes hard to give to others when you have little money yourself,” says Beth. “Wugging is great for people in this age group as it allows them to use the technology on a daily basis to give to charity, without costing them a single penny.”
Wugging is perfect for people who want to be more socially aware and supportive but don’t feel they have the means to do so. Students using the web can raise money for causes they care about without costing them anything in terms of time or money, and charities get a valuable source of funding.
Everyclick.com works like any other search engine, allowing users to search for information, news and images but users can decide which of the UK’s 170,000 charities they would like to support through their clicks. Everyclick.com then makes monthly payments to every registered charity. Launched in June 2005, Everyclick.com is now the eighth largest search engine and one of the busiest charity websites in the UK.According to the passage, “wugging” is actually _______.
| A．a student movement | B．a charity-related action |
| C．a school organization | D．a website |
In the case of charity, everyclick.com _______.
| A．frees students of the financial worries |
| B．receives much money from students |
| C．offers valuable information to students |
| D．praises students for their money-raising |
What does Beth Truman think of the “wugging” movement?
| A．It makes Everyclick.com popular in the UK. |
| B．It becomes easy to do charity because of it. |
| C．It results in students’ more social awareness. |
| D．It helps students to save money. |
From the passage, we can conclude that _______.
| A．most full time students do charity on the Internet every day |
| B．Everyclick.com helps students pay for the college education |
| C．“wugging” is a win-win idea for both students and charities |
| D．Everyclick.com is the most successful search engine in the UK |
Knowing the best way to study will help you to be a better student. By using your time properly, you can do your homework more quickly. Learning to study is not difficult.
The first thing to remember is that you must be willing to learn. It doesn’t mean that you must always like the subject. It does mean, however, that you must be wil1ing to do whatever is necessary to learn. Try to understand why it is important and how it will help you now and later to do and learn other things. Knowing mathematics facts will be useful in your whole life. Knowing how to spell makes any kind of writing easier. Sometimes the subject that you think is going to be uninteresting will be exciting when you begin to work at it and understand it more clearly. Learning things can be fun if you are willing to work with them.
Here’s some advice for you: have a certain time each day and a quiet place with good lighting for study, so that you can concentrate on your study without interruptions(中断); have everything ready before you sit down to study, a dictionary, paper, a pen and books; be sure you understand what you should learn before you start; read carefully and pay special attention to the most important things; when memorizing, first find out the main parts and then recite the whole thing; check your homework after you finish it; never forget the importance of review and preview.
Don’t try to spend a lot of time researching learning methods. There are many students who know many good learning methods but don’t study well. They forget that no one can study well unless he studies hard.The main goal of the article is .
| A．to prove that learning is not difficult |
| B．to make the readers be interested in study |
| C．to tell the importance of self teaching |
| D．to tell the students how to study well |
The first thing to remember in studying is that .
| A．you must like the subject |
| B．you must follow the teacher |
| C．you must enjoy learning |
| D．you must spend much time researching learning methods |
We learn things because .
| A．we may use these things in the future |
| B．we like the subjects |
| C．our parents want us to learn them |
| D．every student learns them at school |
The following advice is given in the article EXCEPT.
| A．To put a pen, paper and books beside you before study. |
| B．To study at any possible time and place. |
| C．To review and preview |
| D．To pay attention to the most important things before you start to study |
Among the following statements, which of the following is true?
| A．The more learning methods we have, the better we will study. |
| B．Finding the best learning method is the most important in learning. |
| C．If you don’t work hard, though you have a good learning method, you can’t be good at study. |
| D．Once we have mastered a good learning method, we can improve our study greatly. |
In today's fast-paced (快节奏) society, few people take time to enjoy the midday meal．Most of us just rush right through it. We grab a quick salad, or buy a sandwich and eat at our computers, Sometimes, if there is a deadline around the corner, we just skip lunch．
The development of technology hasn't done our eating habits much good either．We are constantly distracted by e-mail, social media, and 24 - hour news．Even when we do sit down for lunch, we are more connected to our hand - held electronic devices．
Long working hours can cause all kinds of health problems, and many developed countries have put in place labor laws specifically regarding the lunch break．These laws give employees the right to take a break during a long work shift, but it's up to them whether they do so or not．
Frank Partnoy, a former Wall Street trader, says that employers should encourage workers to take time off for lunch．This is because long lunch breaks can benefit both individuals and society.
Writing in The Guardian, Partnoy says that one obvious reason to take a lunch break is to slow down and gain some perspective（认识）． A break from work allows us to think strategically and outside the box．It also puts our daily tasks into a broader context（背景）．
What we eat at lunch is also important．In Partnoy' s opinion, a fast food lunch is more harmful than not having lunch at all． And it's not just about calories and unhealthy food．Recent studies show that fast food also has negative effects on how we think．
However, if we sit down at a proper restaurant and chat leisurely with colleagues, we are more likely to slow down, something that hardly can be achieved in a noisy and over — packed fast food chain．
Despite these benefits, some employees might still be unwilling to take time off for lunch．Partnoy's suggestion? Make skipping lunch difficult: Employers could ask workers to fill out a form stating their reasons for skipping the meal．What does the underlined phrase "skip lunch" mean in the first paragraph?
| A．have a quick lunch | B．don't have lunch |
| C．work while having lunch | D．take a lunch break |
Which of the following is true according to the text?
| A．Modern technology results in good diet habits． |
| B．Electronic devices make our life comfortable． |
| C．Many people are too busy to have a good lunch． |
| D．Laws have passed to make workers have lunch． |
According to Frank Partnoy, long lunch breaks.
| A．are time for the workers to relax their mind |
| B．make the employees work longer hours |
| C．are for employees to have a quick lunch |
| D．make the workers eat a proper lunch at home |
In Partnoy's opinion, a fast food lunch.
| A．saves a lot of time for a rest |
| B．affects people's way of thinking |
| C．is better than having no lunch |
| D．makes workers sit down and think |
What might be the author's purpose in writing the text?
| A．To warn us not to eat fast food． |
| B．To introduce Frank Partnoy's opinion． |
| C．To encourage us to work more efficiently． |
| D．To show the importance of a proper lunch． |
Mu Yumin had no idea that when he stopped by the computer club as a freshman looking for something fun, it would decide his career four years later．The 22 -year -old biology major at Huazhong University of Science and Technology found a job as an IT technician in Shanghai．" My experience in the club gave me another 'diploma' ," said Mu．" More importantly, I found something I am good at and can make a living from．"
Now campuses(校园) around the country have started recruiting（吸收某人为新成员） fresh faces for all kinds of clubs．Upperclassmen and experts suggest a hobby-based choice of clubs, which might have a lasting impact（影响）on one' s life and career Zhang Ling did not get many chances to write stories as an environmental protection major at Jiangxi University of Science and Technology．But this changed when she joined the university broadcast station．Her daily interviews with students and teachers expanded her horizon．Now she is determined to become a journalist on environmental issues with her degree in environmental protection．"Journalism changed my life track," said the 22 –year-old girl．"I only wanted to be a science teacher in a local senior high school．But now I am applying for a graduate school in journalism."
Lan Yujie, professor at Anhui University of Technology, regards Mu and Zhang as good examples of choosing "what I like" instead of " what is practical" in finding jobs and seeking further study． "Some freshmen don't know what to choose," said Lan．"Just following a hobby and doing something you like can easily give you the experience that makes you happy and special．"
Lan further says that joining clubs should not necessarily have a purpose, As part of campus life, a club experience will impact one's life and career m one way or another．"The point of clubs is to have as many diverse（多样的）experiences as possible so that students can explore more of their life," said Lan．Why did Mu Yumin join the computer club?
A．To get another diplomA. B．To change his major．
C．To find a good joB.D．To have a good time．Which of the followings is true about Zhang Ling?
| A．She didn't intend to be a journalist． |
| B．She changed her major to journalism． |
| C．She now works as a science teacher |
| D．She's graduated from the university． |
According to the text, joining the campus club has many advantages EXCEPT.
| A．helping you know what you really like |
| B．making you plan your career better |
| C．helping you to make more friends |
| D．obtaining more life experiences |
What can we learn from Lan Yujie's words in the last paragraph?
| A．Club experiences will affect students' life and career |
| B．Students should be practical in finding jobs |
| C．Joining clubs should have a clear goal． |
| D．Students will have a colorful campus life by joining clubs． |
What is the main idea of the text?
| A．How to change your major． |
| B．Joining a campus club for a diploma． |
| C．How to find a job after graduation |
| D．Joining a club to explore more of your life． |
GAOMI, Shandong, Oct．11（ Xinhua）—Chinese writer Mo Yan said last Thursday that he was "very surprised" at winning the Nobel Literature Prize．
Speaking to reporters at a hotel in his hometown Gaomi city in east China's Shandong Province, Mo said, " （I was）very surprised upon winning the prize because I felt I was not very senior in terms of qualification （ among Chinese writers）．There are many good writers and my ranking was not so high．"
"I am very happy," he saiD."I was having dinner when I received the news．I was surprised．”
"Thank you for coming all the way to Gaomi．This should be a season of red sorghum, but no such crop is planted any more． I believe none of you have seen the crop," he said．
"The Nobel Literature Prize is a very important literature prize, but not the top awarD.It represents the opinions of the jury（评审团 ）．I am satisfied with my major works and I still keep writing by hand．My works are Chinese literature, which is part of world literature．They show the life of Chinese people as well as the country's unique culture and folk customs．Meanwhile, my novels described human beings in the broad sense．I wrote in the perspective of a human being．These works stand beyond regions and ethnic groups," he said．
"The folk arts and folk culture accompanied my growth and I was influenced by the cultural elements I witnessed through my childhood．When I picked up the pen for literature creation, the folk cultural elements inevitably entered my novels and affected and even determined the artistic styles of my works," he added．
Mo's win brought joy to other writers and readers throughout the country as he is the first Chinese national to win the Nobel Literature Prize in its century-long history．
Born into a farmer's family in a village in Gaomi, Mo has been known since the late 1980s for his novels such as Big Breasts and Wide Hips and Red Sorghum（红高粱）, which was later adapted into a film by director Zhang Yimou．Mo Yan was surprised at winning the Nobel Prize because he felt________.
| A．he was not as famous as other writers |
| B．he was not the best writer in China |
| C．he was born in a farmer's family |
| D．he didn't have good education |
According to Mo Yan,.
| A．red sorghum should be planted in his hometown |
| B．the Nobel Prize represents the opinions of the public |
| C．he still keeps the habit of writing by hand |
| D．his novels described human beings of all regions |
By reading Mo Yan's works, we can.
| A．increase our sense of national pride |
| B．learn a lot about the Chinese folk culture |
| C．form a vivid picture of his childhood |
| D．learn more about the history of the Nobel Prize |
Which of the following words can best describe Mo Yan?
| A．modest | B．self--confident | C．humorous | D．romantic |
Where might you find the article?
| A．In a novel． | B．In a travel book |
| C．In a newspaper． | D．In a student book |