People all over the world write to Big Ben. They even send birthday presents. Big Ben is not a person. It’s a clock. Big Ben is the great clock hanging up in a tower of the parliament building. The people of London like to see Big Ben’s four friendly faces. They like to hear the bell striking (敲)on the hour. Bong! Bong! Bong!
Big Ben’s story started in 1834. In that year the old parliament building was burned down. Its clock tower fell to the ground. There had to be a new building and a new clock. Plans were made. They called for a “King of Clock, the biggest and the best in the world”. So the clock had to be big. And it had to keep very good time. In two years the big clock was made. Five more years went by before the clock tower was last finished. Then the four bells for the chimes (鸣响) were brought into the tower. And at last the big hour bell was put in place. It rang out for the first time on July 11, 1859. This great bell had to have a name. A meeting of parliament was called to pick one. “This clock is the king of clocks,” one man said. “Let’s call the bell the Queen of Bells.” “Then why not Victoria?” said another (Victoria was the British queen (英国女王) at that time). The talk about names went on and on. Then Benjamin Hall got up to speak. He was a big man. By this time they were all tired. Someone shouted, “Why not call it Big Ben and be done with it?” Everybody laughed, and the meeting was over. But it was called Big Ben from then on. Not just the bell but the whole clock.In 1834, what happened to the clock tower?
| A．People finished the clock tower. |
| B．People sold the clock tower. |
| C．People polluted the clock tower. |
| D．The clock tower broke down. |
Big Ben is the name of a _______.
| A．building | B．clock |
| C．beautiful girl | D．city |
In which year might Victoria be the British queen?
| A．1583 | B．1768 | C．1620 | D．1863 |
Which is the best title (标题)for this passage?
| A．Why Big Ben Is So Big |
| B．British Parliament Building |
| C．How Big Ben Got Its Name |
| D．British Queen Victoria |
Before you hit ‘Enter’ on MSN, read this
It is often said that the language we use online is less formal than that we use in a letter, or in direct speech sometimes. This is true, but it can also make us in trouble sometimes.
The thing about online communication is that you have no idea what the person who is reading your messages is feeling. For this reason, it is always a good idea to be polite and cautious when writing e-mails or messages to your friends.
Chinese can be a direct language, but in English, people often talk about a subject in another way. So instead of saying “Please meet me here” or “Do this for me now”, English speakers usually go for indirect phrases like “Would it be possible”, “if you have time” or “It would mean a lot to me if…”
If you have a close friend, you may still run into trouble because of your jokes. If you have asked someone to do something and they need a bit more time, you might joke with him: “What? You still haven’t done it yet? What’s wrong with you?” While this seems funny to you, your friend may feel unhappy.
If you have foreign friends in different countries, the time difference can also be a factor. While you are waking up for class on Friday morning, they may be having a party on Friday night. You will be serious and they will, probably, be excited. So don’t be angry if they seem not to care about you. Just try to message them at the proper time. According to the passage, we learn that our letters are more ______ than the e-mails.
| A．formal | B．direct |
| C．different | D．funny |
As a language, Chinese is ______, but English is not.
| A．polite | B．rude |
| C．direct | D．formal |
Why should we be polite and cautious while chatting online?
| A．Because we mustn’t play jokes online. |
| B．Because our friends are easy to be angry. |
| C．Because it can help us avoid lots of troubles. |
| D．Because we can’t see our friends online. |
According to the passage, which of the following is right?
| A．It is OK to connect your friend by MSN anytime. |
| B．Using the proper way to chat online is necessary. |
| C．Don’t ask your friend to do something for you by MSN. |
| D．Never play jokes with your friends. |
What time will drinks be served?
| A．At 5:30 | B．At 7:30 |
| C．At 8:15 | D．At 12:00 |
You can do the following things EXCEPT ______________________.
| A．bringing your swimming clothes |
| B．dancing with jazz music |
| C．taking a taxi to the party |
| D．wearing jeans and T-shirts |
Which is the following is NOT true about the party?
| A．It is Nicola’s 16th birthday party. |
| B．It is a swimming pool party. |
| C．It will be held at Hillview Hotel. |
| D．You must pay for the towels that the hotel will provide you. |
A. Choose the best answer (根据短文内容，选择最恰当的答案) (12分)
Sir Steven Redgrave—Winner of 5 Olympic Gold Medals
“In 1997 I was found to have developed diabetes (糖尿病), believing the profession trained for the whole of my life ended, I felt very sorry. Then one of my friends said there was no reason why I should stop training and competing. That was it—the encouragement I needed. I could still be a winner if I believed in myself. I am not saying that it isn’t difficult sometimes. But I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn’t finished yet. Nothing is to stand in my way.”
Karen Pickering—Swimming World Champion (冠军)
“I swim 4 hours a day, 6 days a week. I manage that amount of work by putting it on top of my diary. This is the key to success—you can’t follow a profession in any field without being well-organized. Make a list of what you believe you can achieve. Trust yourself, write down your goals for the day, however small they are, and you’ll be a step closer to achieving them.”
Kristen Stewart—Actress
“When things are getting hard, a voice inside my head tells me that I can’t achieve anything. Then, there are other distractions, such as family or hobbies. The key is to give most of your attention to one thing. When I feel nervous, it helps a lot to repeat words such as ‘focus’ , ‘calm’, ‘peace’, either out loud or silently in my mind. It makes me feel more in control and increases my confidence. This is a habit and is a powerful psychological(心理学的) tool.”
| A．difficulties stopped his profession | B．doctors offered him help |
| C．illness couldn’t stop him trying to win | D．he didn’t believe in himself |
| A．6 hours a day | B．6 hours a week |
| C．6 days a week | D．4 hours a week |
| A．the amount of work | B．her activities |
| C．her goals | D．her sports news |
| A．things that turn one’s attention away |
| B．things that make one tired |
| C．words to enjoy |
| D．good habits |
| A．self-confidence | B．happiness | C．humour | D．wisdom |
| A．How to Be a Winner | B．Health and Food |
| C．Difficulties and Habits | D．Be a Sportsman |
Recently a Beijing father sent in a question at an Internet forum(论坛) asking what “PK” meant.
“My family has been watching the ‘I Am the Singer’ singing competition TV programme. My little daughter asked me what ‘PK’ meant, but I had no idea,” explained the puzzled father.
To a lot of Chinese young people who have been playing games online, it is impossible not to know this term. In such Internet games, “PK” is short for “Player Kill”, in which two players fight until one ends the life of the other.
In the case of the “I Am the Singer” singing competition, “PK” was used to refer to the stage where two singers have to compete with each other for only one chance to go up in competition raking.
Like this father, Chinese teachers at Middle schools have also been finding their students using Internet jargons which are difficult to understand. A teacher from Tianjin asked her students to write the compositions with simple language, but they came up with a lot of Internet jargons that she didn’t understand.
“My ‘GG’ came back this summer from college. He told me I’ve grown up to be a ‘PLMM’. I loved to ‘FB’ with him together; he always took me to the ‘KPM’,” went one composition.
“GG” means Ge Ge (Chinese pinyin for brother). “PLMM” is Piao Liang Mei Mei (beautiful girl).“FB” means Fu Bai (corruption).“KPM” is short for KFC, Pizza Hut and McDonald’s.
Some specialists welcome Internet jargons as a new development in language. If you do not even know what a Kong Long (dinosaur, meaning an ugly looking femal) or a Qing Wa (frog, meaning an ugly looking male ) is, you will possibly be regarded as a CaiNiao!By writing the article, the writer tries to _________.
| A．explain some Internet jargons |
| B．suggest common Internet jargons |
| C．laugh at the Beijing father |
| D．draw our attention to Internet jargons |
What does the underlined word Internet jargons mean?
| A．Internet language | B．Internet action |
| C．Internet behavior | D．Internet fashion |
What does the writer think about the word “PK”?
| A．Fathers can’t possibly know it. |
| B．The daughter should understand it. |
| C．Online game players may know it. |
| D．“I Am the Singer” shouldn’t have used it. |
The example of the Beijing father and the Tianjin teacher are used to show that Internet jargons____.
| A．are used not only online | B．can be understood very well |
| C．are welcomed by all the people | D．cause trouble to our mother tongue |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．A Puzzled Father! | B．Do You Speak Internet English? |
| C．Keep away from Internet English! | D．Kong Long or Qing Wa? |
January 16, 2014 –We know the saying“The early bird gets the worm”, but today you’re going to learn about the interesting saying “The early fish gets the bird.”
An African tigerfish(老虎鱼) was seen jumping out of the air and catching a flying bird. The African tigerfish has bright red fins and very sharp teeth. There have been rumors(传闻) this kind of fish preys on(捕食) birds since the 1940s, but no one was able to catch one.
"The whole action of jumping and catching happens so quickly that after we saw it, it took all of us a moment to really understand what we had just seen," said Nico Smit from Environmental Sciences and Management at North-West University.
Smit and his research team saw it at a lake in the Mapungubwe National Park in South Africa during summer. They found about 20 fish feeding on birds in the morning. Those birds may be out early to look for food, but we will never know for sure!The tigherfish ___________.
| A．is from the USA | B．has bright black fins |
| C．has very sharp teeth | D．was seen in a forest |
The underlined word “one” in Paragraph 2 means _______.
| A．a tiger | B．a fish | C．a bird | D．a person |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Nobody has heard of the rumors about the tigerfish before. |
| B．It took Smit a moment to understand what he had seen about the fish. |
| C．The interesting findings happened in a lake in the afternoon. |
| D．The birds were caught by the tigerfish because they were out too early for food. |
Where is the passage likely to be read?
| A．In a poster. | B．In a tour guide. |
| C．In a newspaper. | D．In a story book. |
Which is the best title for the passage?
| A．The early fish gets the bird. | B．Nico Smit and an African tigerfish. |
| C．Nico Smit and his research team. | D．The Mapungubwe National Park |