In many European countries it is normal to have a long break in the middle of the day when all members of the family return to their houses to eat together. This is not very common in Britain because normally it is a long way from the place of work or school to the home. Consequently the British people tend to have a big breakfast before they go to work and the meal at midday is not spent with the members of the family but with workmates or schoolmates. Lunch is normally eaten between 12: 30 p.m. and 1: 30 p.m. Most people finish work at five thirty. It often takes at least an hour to get home from the school or workplace so people tend to eat their evening meal or “dinner” between 6: 30 p.m. and 8 p.m.
On Sundays people don’t have to work, so they take the opportunity to eat together with their family. Sunday lunch is usually the best meal of the week and many of the meals which are considered typically British are eaten for Sunday lunch. For example roast beef and Yorkshire pudding.
This is a typical British family eating together on Sunday. After lunch the father will smoke his pipe and read the newspaper sitting on his favorite armchair while his wife washes the dishes. The children will play traditional English games such as hopscotch, skipping or doctors and nurses.
Although everyone in Britain understands that “breakfast” is the first meal of the day, there is a lot of confusion about the words for other meals such as “dinner, lunch, tea, high tea, brunch and supper” and if you ask a British person what these words mean, most of them will give you a different answer according to what part of the country they are from or what social class they are from. Another example of this is the pronunciation of the word “scones” (a type of cake eaten with Devonshire clotted cream, strawberry jam and cups of tea, known as a “cream tea”)The passage is mainly about ________.
| A．the eating habits in Britain |
| B．British family eating together |
| C．the eating habits in Europe |
| D．British people give you a different answer about meals |
During the workday, the Europeans eat lunch together with the family while the British eat ________.
| A．alone | B．at home |
| C．with the boss | D．with workmates or schoolmates |
The British family eats together ________.
| A．from 12: 30 p.m. to 1: 30 p.m. |
| B．from 6: 30 p.m. to 8: 30 p.m. |
| C．on Sundays |
| D．on Saturdays |
Why do the British have a lot of confusion about the words for other meals except breakfast?
| A．Because of the different pronunciations. |
| B．Because of the different eating times. |
| C．Because of the different eating habits. |
| D．Because of the different parts of country and social classes. |
Language-learners who say they never or hardly ever use dictionaries often speak English well but usually write poorly, because they make many mistakes.
The students who use dictionaries most do not learn especially well either. The ones who look up every new word do not read fast. So they do not have time to read much. Those who use small two-language dictionaries have the worst problems. Their dictionaries often give only one or two words as translations (翻译) of English. But one English word often has many translations in a foreign language and one foreign word has many translations in English.
The most successful students are those who use large college edition dictionaries with about 100,000 words but do not use them too often. When they are reading, these students first try to get the general idea and understand new words from the context. Then they reread and use the dictionary to look up only key words that they still do not understand. They use dictionaries more for writing. If they are not sure how to spell a word, or divide it into syllables (音节), they always use a dictionary. Also, if they think a noun might have an unusual plural form, they check these in a dictionary.Students who never use dictionary speak well but write poor, because_______
| A．They can’t remember words. |
| B．They may make mistakes. |
| C．They are not interested in writing. |
| D．They are afraid of writing. |
According to the passage, which of the following is right?
| A．Students who never use dictionary can speak well and write well. |
| B．Whatever new words you meet while reading, just look them up in the dictionary. |
| C．Small two-language dictionaries are bad for learning English. |
| D．An English word only has one translation. |
When does the writer advise students to use a good dictionary in reading?
| A．At the beginning of the reading |
| B．At the end of the reading |
| C．During the first reading |
| D．After the first reading |
This passage mainly tells us .
| A．that students shouldn’t use small two-language dictionaries |
| B．what were the defects (缺点) of small two-language dictionaries |
| C．why students should use large college edition dictionaries |
| D．what dictionary students should choose and how to use it |
Which is not mentioned in this passage?
| A．How to make good use of a dictionary. |
| B．When to use a dictionary. |
| C．How to improve spoken English. |
| D．How to practice reading fast. |
“This is the BBC News at Eight O’ Clock.”
…
“Chinese people spent about 120 billion yuan during the first three days of the May Golden Week last year. This year it has increased to 140 billion yuan.”
“The children of Beijing No.2 Middle School sang with students from Toronto in Canada to celebrate the 20thanniversary. They had been sister schools since 1986. They spent about two weeks together in Beijing. They visited the Great Wall and the Summer Palace. They took a lot of photos in Beihai Park.”
“Have you ever got tired of heavy shopping bags? A new shopping assistant robot which was invented by Japanese company could be the answer. The helpful robot can follow you around and carry several bags. The robot was tested at a shopping center in February 2006. ”
“About 500 people from different countries were in the 2006 “Rock Paper Scissors(剪刀)” World Match in Canada. This event was founded in 1842. It is said playing this game is fun, and also a good way to solve problems among people.”
…
“And now it’s time for Morning Music.”The students from Canada and Beijing No. 2 Middle School didn’t ________.
| A．take photos | B．visit the Great Wall |
| C．visit the Summer Palace | D．have a football match |
This year during the first three days of the May Golden Week, it cost Chinese people ___________ yuan more than that of last year.
| A．260 billion | B．120 billion | C．140 billion | D．20 billion |
Which of the following is not talked about in the news?
| A．The robot can help with shopping bags. |
| B．A Japanese company invented the robot. |
| C．The robot was tested at a shopping centre. |
| D．There are such robots in people’s homes now. |
The underlined word “anniversary” means .
| A．founding |
| B．yearly return of the date of an event |
| C．university |
| D．the new beginning of something important |
Which of the following is a game?
| A．Rock Paper Scissors | B．May Golden Week |
| C．Shopping assistant robot | D．A visit to the school |
At present time, roller skating (滑旱冰) is easy and fun. But many years ago, it wasn’t easy at all. Before 1750, people never tried skating on wheels. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin’s work was making instruments (工具). In his free time he liked to play the violin. Merlin was a man with many ideas and many dreams. People called him a dreamer.
One day Merlin received an invitation to go to an important party. He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think. He wanted to find a way to make a wonderful entrance at the party. Merlin had an idea. He thought that he would attract a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.
Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll (滚动). Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skate shoes. Merlin was very proud of them. He dreamed of arriving at the party and skating into the room while playing the violin. He was sure that everyone would be very surprised.
On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room, playing his violin. Everyone was really surprised to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skating. He rolled on, playing the violin. Then, with all eyes on him, Merlin hit into a huge mirror on the wall. The mirror broke into many pieces with a very loud noise.
Nobody forgot Merlin’s wonderful entrance after that.The first paragraph tells us that people began to skate on wheels from 1750 because _______.
| A．it is very easy | B．it is very exciting |
| C．Joseph Merlin’s instruments | D．it is very popular |
People called Merlin a dreamer because ___________. .
| A．he slept and dreamed a lot |
| B．he was full of different ideas and dreams |
| C．he invented the first roller skates |
| D．he always made people’s dreams come true |
___________ made Merlin think of skating on wheels.
| A．Merlin’s work | B．Merlin’s violin |
| C．A huge mirror | D．An important party |
What was Merlin’s problem after he rolled into the room?
| A．He couldn’t stop his roller-skating. |
| B．He couldn’t attract a lot of attention. |
| C．Everyone was surprised at him. |
| D．He couldn’t play the violin while rolling. |
What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．Joseph Merlin’s Story |
| B．How Roller Skating Was Invented |
| C．A Surprising Entrance to the Party |
| D．Violin and roller skating |
When he was a boy, Tim was much influenced（影响） by the books about the sea, but in fact by the age of fifteen he had decided to become a doctor rather than a sailor. His father was a dentist and as a result, Tim had the opportunity of meeting many doctors either at home or elsewhere. When he was fourteen he was already hanging around the clinic (诊所) of a local doctor where he was supposed to help to wrap up medicine bottles, but was actually trying to listen to the conversations taking place between the doctor and his patients in the next room.
During the war Tim served in the Navy (海军) as a surgeon (外科医生). “That was the happiest time of my life. I was dealing with very real suffering and on the whole making a success of it.” In California he taught the country people simple facts about medicine. He saw himself as a life-saver. He had proved his skills to himself and his ability to take decisions. Thus, while he was able to tell them what to do, he could feel he was saving them. After the war, he got married and chose to be a doctor in the countryside, working under an old doctor who was popular in the area, but who hated the sight of blood and believed that the secret of medicine was faith. This gave the young man many opportunities to go on working as a life-saver.Tim decided to be a doctor when he was________.
| A．fourteen | B．fifteen |
| C．serving in the Navy | D．working in clinic |
Tim decided to become a doctor mainly because________
| A．his father wanted him to be so. |
| B．his father was a surgeon. |
| C．he had read many books about medicine. |
| D．he had chances to know many doctors and know about what doctors did. |
Which of the following is not true?
| A．during the war, Tim was a surgeon in the Navy. |
| B．he taught the country people simple facts about medicine in California. |
| C．after the war, he married the old doctors’ daughter. |
| D．Tim worked as a life-saver after war. |
From the passage we can infer(推出) that Tim_________.
| A．was sent to Europe during the war. |
| B．was not afraid of blood. |
| C．decided to give up his doctor career. |
| D．regarded himself as a life-saver. |
The passage is mainly about________
| A．Tim’s life story | B．Tim’ dreams | C．Tim’s marriage | D．Tim’s patients |
Maybe ten-year-old Elizabeth put it best when she said to her father,“But,Dad,you can’t be healthy if you’re dead?”
Dad,in a hurry to get home before dark so he could go for a run,had forgotten to wear his safety belt——a mistake 75% of the US population make every day.The big question is why.
There have been many myths about safety belts ever since their first appearance in cars some forty years ago.The following are three of the most common.
Myth Number One:It’s best to be“thrown clear”of a serious accident.
Truth:Sorry,but any accident serious enough to “throw you clear”is also going to be serious enough to give you a very bad landing.And chances are you’ll have traveled through a windshield(挡风玻璃)or door to do it.Studies show that chances of dying after a car accident are twenty-five times greater in cases where people are“thrown clear.”
Myth Number Two:Safety belts“trap”people in cars that are burning or sinking in water.
Truth:Sorry again,but studies show that people knocked unconscious(昏迷)due to not wearing safety belts have a greater chance of dying in these accidents,People wearing safety belts are usually protected to the point of having a clear head to free themselves from such dangerous situations,not to be trapped in them.
Myth Number Three:Safety belts aren’t needed at speeds of less than 30 miles per hour(mph).
Truth:When two cars traveling at 30 mph hit each other,an unbelted driver would meet the windshield with a force equal to diving headfirst into the ground from a height of 10 meters.Why did Elizabeth say to her father,“But Dad,you can’t be healthy if you’re dead”?
| A．He didn’t have his safety belt on. |
| B．He was running across the street. |
| C．He was driving at great speed |
| D．He didn’t take his medicine on time. |
The reason Father was in a hurry to get home was that he____.
| A．wasn’t feeling very well |
| B．wanted to take some exereise |
| C．hated to drive in the dark |
| D．didn’t want to be caught by the police |
According to the text,to be “thrown clear”of a serious accident is very dangerous
because you_____.
| A．may be knocked down by other cars |
| B．may get caught in the car door |
| C．may find it impossible to get away from the seat |
| D．may get seriously hurt being thrown out of the car |
Some people prefer to drive without wearing a safety belt because they believe__.
| A．they will be unable to think clearly in an accident |
| B．the belt prevents them from escaping in an accident |
| C．they will be caught when help comes |
| D．cars catch fire easily |
What is the advice given in the text?
| A．Never drive faster than 30 miles an hour. |
| B．Never forget to wear the safety belt while driving. |
| C．Try your best to save yourself in a car accident. |
| D．Drive slowly while you’re not wearing a safety belt. |