From good reading we can get pleasure, companionship, experience, and instruction. A good book may absorb our attention so completely that for the time being we forget our surroundings and even our identity. Reading good books is one of the greatest pleasures in life. It increases our contentment when we are cheerful, and lessens our troubles when we are sad. Whatever may be our main purpose in reading, our contact with good books should never fail to give us enjoyment and satisfaction.
With a good book in our hands we need never be lonely. Whether the characters in it are taken from real life or are purely imaginary, they may become our companions and friends. In the pages of books we can walk with the wise and the good of all lands and all times. The people we meet in books may delight us either because they resemble (相像) human friends whom we hold dear or because they present unfamiliar types whom we are glad to welcome as new acquaintances(熟人). Our human friends sometimes may bore us, but the friends we make in books need never weary us with their company. By turning the page we can dismiss them without any fear of hurting their feelings. While human friends desert us, good books are always ready to give us friendship, sympathy, and encouragement.
Of all the gifts from reading books, the most valuable one is experience. Few of us can travel far from home or have a wide range of experiences, but all of us can lead varied lives through the pages of books. Whether we wish to escape from the seemingly dull realities of daily routines or whether we long to visit some far-off place, a book will help us when nothing else can. To travel by book we need no bank account to pay our way; no airship or ocean liner or stream-lined train to transport us; no passport to enter the land of our heart's desire. Through books we may get the thrill of hazardous adventure without danger. We can climb high mountains, brave the perils (危险) of an Antarctic winter, or cross the scorching sands of the desert, all without hardship. In books we may visit the studios of Hollywood; we may mix with the merry crowds of the Paris boulevards; we may join the picturesque peasants in an Alpine village or the kindly natives on a South Sea island. Indeed, through books the whole world is ours for the asking. The possibilities of our literary experiences are almost unlimited. The beauties of nature, the enjoyment of music, the treasures of art, the triumphs of architecture, the marvels of engineering, are all open to the wonder and enjoyment of those who read.Why do we sometimes forget our surroundings and even our identity while reading?
| A．No one is trying to disturb you there. |
| B．All is so quiet and calm around you. |
| C．The book you read is so fascinating. |
| D．Our life is just far from satisfactory. |
What makes people like their acquaintances in books even more?
| A．They are just like our human friends. |
| B．They are unfamiliar types we like. |
| C．They will never ever abandon us. |
| D．They will never hurt our feelings. |
The word “hazardous” means ______.
| A．“unexpected” | B．“dangerous” |
| C．“imaginary” | D．“unusual” |
“... the whole world is ours for the asking” means that we can____________.
| A．experience the whole world just by reading |
| B．get anywhere in the world only by asking |
| C．make a trip around the world free of charge |
| D．actually possess everything in this world |
What is the most suitable title for this passage?
| A．Reading and traveling | B．Experiencing the world |
| C．Traveling with books | D．Gifts from reading |
A practical English Grammar is intended for intermediate（中级的） and post-intermediate students. We hope that more advanced learners and teachers will also find it useful.
The book is a comprehensive survey of structures and forms, written in clear modern English and illustrated with numerous examples. Areas of particular difficulty have been given special attention. Differences between conversational usage and strict grammatical forms are shown but the emphasis is on controversial forms.
In the fourth edition the main changes are as follows.
1. Explanation and examples have been brought up to date.
2. There is now more information on countable and uncountable nouns, attributive and predicative adjectives, adverbs of place, sentence adverbs, cleft sentences, prepositions, conjunctives, modal verbs, perfect tenses, infinitive constructions, the passive, purpose clauses and nouns.
3. Some material has been rearranged to make comparisons easier. For example, parts of chapters on can, may, must etc. are now grouped by functions; verbs of liking and preference have a chapter to themselves; suggestions and invitations have joined the chapter on commands, requests and advice.
4. The contents list now summaries every edition heading, and there is a new index containing many more entries references.
In this edition the sign “~” is frequently used to show a change of speaker in examples of dialogue. Note also that although the sign “="”" sometimes connects two words or expressions with the same meaning, it is often used more freely, e.g. to indicate a transformation from active to passive or direct to indirect speech.
We wish to thank all at Oxford University Press who have assisted in the preparation of the fourth edition. We would also like to thank Professor Egawa of Nihon University, Japan, Professor Rene Dirven of Duisburg University, West Germany and other colleagues for their friendly and helpful suggestions.
London, November 1985 A.J.T., A.VMThe grammar book mentioned in this passage is not suitable for .
| A．a middle school teacher | B．a primary school student |
| C．a senior high student | D．a college student |
According to the passage, we know that his grammar book .
| A．compares modern English with old English |
| B．gives a large number of examples to reduce difficulty |
| C．attaches more importance to conversational forms |
| D．pays little attention to strict grammatical forms |
Which of the following statements about the changes is TRUE?
| A．This book keeps up with the latest usages of the America English language. |
| B．This edition offers more information about pronouns. |
| C．It’s not easy for us to find the information we need in this book. |
| D．One particular chapter discusses verbs like “care, like, love, hate, prefer, wish”. |
When you see this line in the book, “Did you get a ticket? ~Yes, I managed to get one”, we can understand that .
| A．the two parts before and after the sign “~” mean the same |
| B．the two parts before and after “~” are said by two different people |
| C．the second speaker repeats what the first speaker says |
| D．the topic is changed in the part after the sign “~” |
In the last paragraph, the authors thank several people because .
| A．they have helped the authors with this edition |
| B．they have agreed to buy a lot of books from the authors |
| C．the authors want to make use of the fames of those people |
| D．those people will make advertisements for this book |
Look closely at ,your hands-are they clean? It doesn't matter how many times you was your hands. They're still crowded with microbes, which are also called "germs" or "bacteria". Microbes are everywhere. But don't worry-most microbes don't harm you. and many actually help you stay alive.
Now, scientists say the microbes that live on our hands could be used in a surprising way: fighting crime.
When police visit the scene of a crime, they often look for fingerprints to try to identifythe criminal. But according to a recent study, investigators could even use microbes to help break a criminal case.
Every person has his or her own set of microbes that live on their hands, according to scientists at,the University of:Colorado. That means the mix of different kinds of microbes on everybody's hand is unique-much like one's fingerprint.
The scientists wanted to know whether this microbe mix could be used as a new kind of fingerprint-especially in a crime scene where fingerprints might be hard to find. And policemen use forensics such as studying fingerprints to identify the criminal.
"Microbe fingerprints are harder to hide," said Noah Fierer, one of the scientists.
"You can't sterilize(为……杀菌) a surface just by wiping it off. "
His team compared the bacteria on the hands of 273 people with the bacteria found on each person's computer keyboard. For the study, the keyboards had been used only by the people who were being tested. The study showed that the mix of microbes from each per- son's hands matched the mix of microbes on that person's keyboard. The scientists were easily able to tell the 273 people apart-just by looking at their keyboards.
But there are a lot more than 273 criminals. Other scientists wonder whetherthe microbe fingerprint can really be that useful.
Fierer agrees that scientists have a lot more work to do before the microbe fingerprint will be a useful tool．According to the passage, microbes on people's hands_____
| A．do more harm than good | B．are easy to get rid of |
| C．are almost the same | D．might help find crimes |
The underlined word "forensics" in Paragraph 5 probably refers to________.
| A．the scientific test used by police |
| B．a new kind of fingerprint |
| C．a kind of bacteria'in people's hands |
| D．a kind of newly invented keyboard |
What did Fierer's team find through the study?
| A．They found the criminal among the 237 people. |
| B．They could tell who had used which computer. |
| C．Computer keyboards couldn't keep people's microbe fingerprints. |
| D．People's characters could be identified by the keyboards they used. |
We can learn from the passage that ______.
| A．your microbes may give you away |
| B．scientists will come to a clear conclusion soon |
| C．many scientists think microbe fingerprints useless |
| D．the microbe fingerprint has been used in many cases |
The main idea of the passage is about_____.
| A．the importance of fingerprints | B．how to clean our hands |
| C．the usefulness of microbes | D．different germs on our hands |
If you want to teach your children how to say sorry, you must be good at saying it yourself, especially to your own children. But how you say it can be quite tricky.
If you say to your children "I'm sorry I got angry with you, but...", what follows that "but" can make the apology ineffective:"I had a bad day" or "your noise was giving me a headache" leaves the person who has been injured feeling that he should be apologizing for his bad behavior in expecting an apology.
Another means by which peaple appear to apologize without actually doing so is to say "I'm sorry you're upset"; this suggests that you are somehow at fault for allowing yourself to get upset by what the other person has done.
Then there is the general, all-covering apology, which avoids the necessity of identifying a specific act that is particularly hurtful or insulting, and which the person who is apologizing should promise never to do again. Saying "I'm useless as a parent" does not commit a person to any specific improvement.
These pseudo-apologies(假道歉) are used by people who believe saying sorry shows weakness. Parents who wish to teach their children to apologize should see it as a sign of strength, and therefore not take these pseudo-apologies.
But even when presented with examples of real apology, childfen still need help to become aware of the complexities of saying sorry. A three-year-old might need help in un- derstanding that other children feel pain just as he does, and that hitting a playmate over the head with a heavy toy requires an apology. A six-year-old might need reminding that spoiling other children's expectations can require an apology. A 12-year-old might need to be shown that destroying the biscuit tin without asking permission is acceptable, but that
borrowing a parent's clothes without permission is not.If a mother adds "but" to an apology, ________.
| A．the child may find the apology easier to accept |
| B．the child may feel that he owes her an apology |
| C． she promises never to do it again |
| D．she does not realize that the child has been hurt |
According to the author, saying "I am sorry you are upset" most probably means “_______”
| A．You have good reason to get upset |
| B．I apologize for hurting your feelings |
| C．I am at fault for making you upset |
| D．I am aware you are upset, but I am not to blame |
It is not advisable to use the general, all-covering apology because _______.
| A． it is not clear and ineffective |
| B． it is hurtful and insulting |
| C． it may make the other person feel faulty |
| D．it gets one into the habit of making empty promises . |
We learn from the last paragraph that in teaching children to say sorry_______
| A．the complexities involved should be ignored |
| B．parents need to set them a good example |
| C．their ages should be taken into account |
| D．parents should be patient and tolerant |
It can be inferred from the passage that apologizing properly is________.
| A．a sign of social,progress |
| B．not as simple as it seems |
| C．not necessary among family members. |
| D．a social issue calling for immediate attention |
Sarah came running in saying, "Look what l found. " Over the top of the paper I was reading I saw a long object that made me jump. It was a piece of snakeskin that had been shed （脱皮) by one of our garden snakes.
'Isn't it beautiful?" said my wide-eyed 7~year-old daughter. I stared at the organic wrapper and thought to myself that it really was not that beautiful, but I did not want to disappoint Sarah. Everything children see for the first time is elementary to their sense of beauty and creativity. They see only merit (忧点) and excellence in the world.
"Why does it do this?" Sarah asked. I like to teach my children that there is something else going on besides what they see in front of them. "Snakes shed their skin because they need to renew themselves," I explained.
"Why do they need to renew themselves?" Sarah asked. "We often need to shed our skins, those coatings that we cover ourselves with," I said to my now absorbed daughter. "We outgrow some things and find other stuff unnecessary. This snake no longer needs this skin. It is probably too old, and the snake probably doesn't think it looks as smart in the skin as it once did. Like buying a new suit. "
Of course, I'm sure this explanation won't suit naturalists. But Sarah got the point. As we talked, I knew that she began to understand that renewal is part of progress; that we need to take a good look at ourselves, and rooms and schoolwork and creativity, and she began to see what we need to keep and what need to cast off. I was careful to point out that this is a natural process, not one to be forced.
"Snakes don't peel off their skin when they feel like it," I explained. "lt happens as part of their growth. "
"I see, Dad. " said Sarah. She then jumped off my lap, grabbed the snakeskin, and ran off.
I hoped she would remember this. Often, in order to find our real selves underneath the layers of community and culture we are cloaked (掩饰) in year after year, we need to start examining these layers. We need to gently peel some away, as we recognize them to be worthless, unnecessary, or flawed (有缺陷的); or at best, remember the things we discard（丢掉）to teach us how we can improve.When Sarah asked the author whether the snakeskin was beautiful,___________
| A．he was shocked and jumped |
| B．he tried to understand her point of view |
| C．he thought that telling the truth was a merit |
| D．he decided to teach her something about the garden |
How did Sarah feel about the author's explanation?
| A．Confused. | B．Boreci | C．Satisfied. | D．Excited. |
Which of the following would the author agree with?
| A．By reflecting on ourselves, we can better ourselves. |
| B．It is necessary to force others to remove some things. |
| C．The community and culture force us to change. |
| D．It is natural to keep some old clothes. |
From the text, we can conclude that the author___________.
| A．does not like nature much |
| B．takes the chilcl's feelings lightly |
| C．is both a logical and thoughtful person |
| D．loves to see his daughter excited about animals |
Which of the following could be the best title for the article?
| A．The things we should cast off | B．A shed snakeskin in Sarah's eyes |
| C．A natural part of our growth | D．Renewal for snakes and us |
As a senior high school student, my future is always on my mind. To be exact,thoughts of the future have kept me up countless nights and made me worry enough to do poorly on more than one test. Because of this, words of wisdom are a source of comfort.Steve Jobs gave a speech to Stanford's graduating class in 2005 and his words resound repeatedly in my mind whenever I think about my future.
It started when l became a junior, when college came into view. It's the first big step to making your life your own. So when Jobs discussed his life as a student, some fears were eased. He, too, felt the need to attend college to make something of himself. He faced what many are extremely afraid of: uncertainty. His lack of understanding caused him to stop attending college and focus on what he felt was important. His story had a happy ending, of course, since he certainly turned out well.
This doesn't mean that students shouldn't attend college, but rather that they shouldn't worry so much. You'll get where you need to go, even if your path is a bit morewinding(蜿蜒的)than you'd like.
Jobs talked about the hardships in his work. His love of his work helped him carry on and he got where he was meant to be, which restates the point: don't panic.One particular part of his speech stayed with me. Steve Jobs quoted(引用)thc saying"Stay hungry, stay foolisll" and it has become my motto. Staying foolish is realizing thatyou are still a fool, no matter how much you've learned or experienced. There is always more to explore. Staying hungry is wanting to find those things about which you are still uneducated.
Steve Jobs' level of success is possible to achieve, and I aim to prove that. With the will power to go into the world living every day like it's my last and allowing the future to take care of itself, I will do great things. In the last moments of my life, I'll be proud of what I have done and hope to have all the wisdom a person could wish for. The author felt worried when_____.
| A．he had to take tests at school |
| B．he had lots of sleepless nights |
| C．he thought about his future |
| D．he searched for words of wisdom |
It is suggested in Paragraphs l and 2 that_____
| A．the author is a college student |
| B．the author cares much about his future |
| C．Steve Jobs failed because of his decision |
| D．Steve Jobs' words had no effect on the author |
What did the author gain from Jobs' speech?
| A．Courage to drop out of school. | B．Confidence in defeating Jobs. |
| C．Interest in computer industry. | D．Bravery to face uncertainties. |
What did NOT Steve Jobs encourage students to do in his speech?
| A．Be content with what they know. |
| B．Have the desire to learn more. |
| C．Stay calm in the face of hardships |
| D．Be modest so as to learn more. |
The passage is mainly about_____.
| A．an experience of a speech |
| B．a memorable meeting with Jobs |
| C．the most impressive quotation in life |
| D．the wisdom drawn from a speech |