Among the four skills in learning English,which one of these is the “odd-man-out”? The answer is speaking.The other three you can do alone on your own.But you can’t really speak alone! Speaking to yourself can be “dangerous” because men in white coats may come and take you away!
Where can you find people to speak English? And how can you practise speaking when you are alone?
At school If you pay to go to a language school, you should use the opportunity to speak.If your teacher asks you to speak in pairs or groups with other students, try to say as much as possible.Don’t worry about your mistakes.Just speak!
Conversation Clubs Many cities around the world have conversation clubs where people can exchange one language for another.Look in your local newspaper to find a conversation club near you.They are usually free although some may charge a small entrance fee.
Shopping Even if you don’t want to buy anything,you can ask questions about products that interest you in a shop.“How much does this cost?” ‘‘Can I pay by cheque?” Often you can start a real conversation-and it costs you nothing!
Café and Bars There are often American,Britain,Irish and Australlan bars in many large cities.If you can find one,you’ll probably meet many people speaking English as a first or second language.
Language ia all aroundyou Everywhere you go,you find language.Shop names,street names,advertisements,notices,and car numbers—When you walk down the street,practise reading the words and numbers that you see.Say them to yourself. It’s not exactly a conversation, but it will help you to“think” in English.But don’t speak too loud!
Songs and Video Repeat the words of an English—language song singing with the music until it becomes automatic.It’s good practice for your memory and for the mouth muscles that you need for English.
Above all, speak as much as possible! Make as many mistakes as possible! When you know that you have made a mistake,you know that you have made progress!What does “odd-man-out” probably mean according to the passage?
A.Someone or something appearing different from the others. |
B.Someone or something standing out of the group. |
C.Someone or something arranged in pairs. |
D.Someone or something that can be easily mistaken for another. |
What might happen if you speak to yourself loudly in public?
A.The police will take you away and punish you. |
B.The doctors will force you to stay in hospital. |
C.You will have to pay to escape being punished. |
D.You will be forbidden to be member of the club. |
In which places can you learn English NOT free of charge?
A.At school, in conversation clubs and café and bars. |
B.At school, in shops and café bars. |
C.In conversation clubs,shops,songs and video. |
D.In conversation clubs and in the streets. |
Why does the writer say “Make as many mistakes as possible”? Because .
A.everyone will make mistakes in learning English |
B.everyone will meet people speaking English with some mistakes |
C.making mistakes is a must in making progress in learning English |
D.making mistakes can make one realize the importance of speaking |
According to the passage,which way is NOT likely to be accepted by English beginners?
A.Recite poems loudly along the riverside. |
B.Listen to some English fashion songs and video. |
C.Find an Englishman to speak English with. |
D.In class, try to practise in groups or pairs. |
Among the most popular books being written today are those which are usually classified as science fiction. Hundreds of titles are published every year and are read by all kinds of people. Furthermore, some of the most successful films of recent years have been based on science fiction stories.
It is often thought that science fiction is a fairly new development in literature, but its ancestors can be found in books written hundreds of years ago. These books were often concerned with the presentation of some form of ideal society, a theme which is still often found in modern stories.
Most of the classics of science fiction, however, have been written within the last one hundred years. Books by writers such as Jules Verne and H. G. Wells, to mention just two well-known authors, have been translated in many languages. Modern science fiction writers don't write about men from Mars or space adventure stories. They are more interested in predicting the results of technical developments on society and the human mind, or in imagining future worlds which are a reflection of the world which we live in now. Because of this their writing has obvious political undertones.
In an age where science fact frequently over-takes science fiction, the writers may find it difficult to keep ahead of scientific advances. Those who are sufficiently clear-sighted to see the way we are going, however, may provide a valuable lesson on how to deal with the problems which society will inevitably face as it tries to master its new technology and come to terms with a continually changing view of the world. Most of the classics of science fiction have been written within __________.
A.the last few hundred years |
B.the last one hundred years |
C.the last two hundred years |
D.the last three hundred years |
Modern science fiction writers are interested in __________
A.writing about men from Mars |
B.writing about everything but politics |
C.forecasting the results of technical develop-ments and imagining the future world |
D.writing space adventure stories |
Science fiction writers may provide a valuable les-son on how to deal with the problems of __________
A.conflict used by different political theories |
B.adopting new technology and adapting quickly to its effects on society |
C.conflict caused by different religious beliefs |
D.space adventure |
Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy
by Isaac & Anderson
Price: $11. 86
Availability: In Stock. Ships from and sold by Amazon, com.
This how-to book is divided into four parts :“Story - telling ”,“ Ideas and Foundations ”,and two sections on mechanics, markets, and dealing with editors. Isaac talks about “Plotting”,“Dialog”,and“Revisions”,but Andersons technical essay on pre-paring a scientifically valid world couldn't be better. Masterpieces
by Orson Scott Card
Price: $11. 36
Availability: In Stock. Ships from and sold by Amazon, com.
It may not include every reader's choices for the top science fiction of the 20th century, but it lives up to its title. There 're 27 famous stories by the biggestnames and best writers, for example, Bears Discover Fire by Terry Bisson, and Snow by John Crowley. Masterpieces isn't an anthology (文选)for well-read fans. However, it is a great book (or new science fiction readers.
World Building
by Ben Bova
Price: $16. 99
Availability: In Stock. Ships from and sold by Amazon, com.
Another in Ben Bova 's series on science fiction writing. While it may take you a little more than seven days,when you're done, your knowledge will be greatly increased. It is designed to give science fiction writers the solid grounding they need to make their fictions read like fact. World Building is to help writers transport readers from one world to another through words, tables and diagrams.
End in Fire
by Syne Mitchell
Price: $6. 99
Availability: Only 2 left in stock—order soon by Amazon, com.
Astronaut Claire Logan is living her dream working on the space station Unity. But two days be-fore her mission ends, Earth is engulfed (吞没)in a nuclear war. Helpless to contact her family, Claire refuses to give up. But when Unity rescues a Chinese space station from certain death, Claire discovers that the war on Earth has come to space and she must make a final stand. The four books are all about __________.
A.science fiction writers |
B.science fiction writing |
C.science fiction |
D.science fiction fans |
Who is the author of Bears Discover Fire"!
A.Orson Scott Card. |
B.Ben Bova. |
C.Syne Mitchell. |
D.Terry Bisson. |
Which of the following books is most probably difficult to buy?
A.End in Fire. |
B.Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy. |
C.Masterpieces |
D.World Building. |
What can we learn from the above information?
A.World Building helps writers to improve by story-telling. |
B.Masterpieces is suitable for new science readers. |
C.Isaac is good at writing essays on preparing a scientifically valid world. |
D.End in Fire tells readers more than one story. |
An underwater robot that can hear the calls of whales, and to help ships to avoid them, has just been successfully tested in the Bahamas.
The scheme relies on a fish-shaped glider that moves freely through the ocean. It can dive down as far as 200 meters below the surface and direct itself by shifting a weight from fore to aft. A microphone attached to the bottom of the glider can pick up calls from all whales, including the high frequency call of the beaked whale, which until now has been difficult to detect. The glider returns periodically to the surface to radio its data back to base, or if that's too far away, it can call a satellite phone and send its information anywhere in the world.
"We are entering a new era of underwater sensing' says Jim Theriault of Defence Research and Development Canada, in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia who ran the trial. "We can put a glider in the Bahamas and monitor it in Nova Scotia. ”
The hope is that naval or other ocean-going operations that use sonar (声呐)will be able to more easily track where whales are, and so avoid using their noisy equipment when they are close by. There is circumstantial evidence that sonar can upset whales and a number of strandings (搁浅)have been seen shortly after naval sonar operations. “We're trying to lower the potential risk by knowing the animals are there,” says Theriault. The shape of the underwater robot is like __________
A.a man |
B.a fish |
C.a snake |
D.a turtle |
The underwater robot is built to __________.
A.help whales move to the Bahamas |
B.help whales give birth to their young |
C.help ships avoid whales |
D.help humans kill more whales |
To radio its data back to base, the robot has to __________
A.dive down as far as 200 meters below the surface |
B.stay deep in the water |
C.call a satellite phone |
D.come to the surface periodically |
The best title for this passage is “ __________ ”.
A.Whales are in danger |
B.Whales are difficult to find |
C.Robot built to kill whales |
D.Robot built to spy on whales |
Which of the following statements is FALSE?
A.Whales can be disturbed by naval sonar operations. |
B.Whales can be disturbed by noisy equipment. |
C.Whales can be disturbed by noisy ocean-going operations. |
D.Whales' strandings have nothing to do with naval sonar operations. |
Scientists are racing to build the world's first thinking robot. This is not science fiction: some say they will have made it by the year 2020,Carol Packer reports.
Machines that walk, speak and feel are no longer science fiction. Kismet is the name of an android (人形机器人)which scientists have built at the Massa-chusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Kismet is different from the traditional robot because it can show human emotions. Its eyes, ears and lips move to show when it feels happy, sad or bored. Kismet is one of the first of a new generation of androids—robots that look like human beings—which can imitate human feelings. Cog, another android invented by the MIT, imitates the action of a mother. However, scientists admit that so far Cog has the mental ability of a two-year-old.
The optimists (乐观主义者) say that by the year2020 we will have created humanoids (人形机器人) with brains similar to those of all adult human beings. These robots will be designed to look like people to make them more attractive and easier to sell to the public. What kind of jobs will they do? In the future, robots like Robonaut , a humanoid invented by NASA, will be doing dangerous jobs, like repairing space stations. They will also be doing more and more of the household work for us. In Japan, scientists are designing androids that will entertain us by dancing and playing the piano.
Some people worry about what the future holds:Will robots become monsters(怪物)? Will people themselves become increasingly like robots? Experts predict that more and more people will be wearing micro-computers,connected to the Internet, in the future. People will have micro-chips in various parts of their body, which will connect them to a wide variety of gadgets (小装置). Perhaps we should not exaggerate (夸大)the importance of technology, but one wonders whether, in years to come,we will still be falling in love, and whether we will still feel pain. Who knows? Kismet is different from traditional robots because __________.
A.it thinks for itself |
B.it is not like science fiction |
C.it can look after two-year-old children |
D.it seems to have human feelings |
What makes Cog special?
A.It looks like a mother. |
B.It behaves like a child. |
C.It can imitate the behavior of a mother. |
D.It has a huge brain. |
In about 10 years' time from now, robots __________
A.will become space designers |
B.will look like monsters |
C.will behave like animals |
D.will think like humans |
In the future robots will also __________.
A.explore space |
B.entertain people |
C.move much faster |
D.do all of the housework |
What is the writer's attitude to robots in the future?
A.Critical. |
B.Hostile. |
C.Objective. |
D.Enthusiastic. |
An underwater robot that can hear the calls of whales, and to help ships to avoid them, has just been successfully tested in the Bahamas.
The scheme relies on a fish-shaped glider that moves freely through the ocean. It can dive down as far as 200 meters below the surface and direct itself by shifting a weight from fore to aft. A microphone attached to the bottom of the glider can pick up calls from all whales, including the high frequency call of the beaked whale, which until now has been difficult to detect. The glider returns periodically to the surface to radio its data back to base, or if that's too far away, it can call a satellite phone and send its information anywhere in the world.
"We are entering a new era of underwater sensing' says Jim Theriault of Defence Research and Development Canada, in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia who ran the trial. "We can put a glider in the Bahamas and monitor it in Nova Scotia. ”
The hope is that naval or other ocean-going operations that use sonar (声呐)will be able to more easily track where whales are, and so avoid using their noisy equipment when they are close by. There is circumstantial evidence that sonar can upset whales and a number of strandings (搁浅)have been seen shortly after naval sonar operations. “We're trying to lower the potential risk by knowing the animals are there,” says Theriault. The shape of the underwater robot is like __________
A.a man |
B.a fish |
C.a snake |
D.a turtle |
The underwater robot is built to __________.
A.help whales move to the Bahamas |
B.help whales give birth to their young |
C.help ships avoid whales |
D.help humans kill more whales |
To radio its data back to base, the robot has to __________
A.dive down as far as 200 meters below the surface |
B.stay deep in the water |
C.call a satellite phone |
D.come to the surface periodically |
The best title for this passage is “ __________ ”.
A.Whales are in danger |
B.Whales are difficult to find |
C.Robot built to kill whales |
D.Robot built to spy on whales |
Which of the following statements is FALSE?
A.Whales can be disturbed by naval sonar operations. |
B.Whales can be disturbed by noisy equipment. |
C.Whales can be disturbed by noisy ocean-going operations. |
D.Whales' strandings have nothing to do with naval sonar operations. |