Joker found one of the biggest diamonds in the world in his own back yard. He sold the stone to a diamond dealer for over three hundred thousand dollars. In New York, the diamond was resold. This time for almost eight hundred thousand dollars. The true value of a diamond is never known until it has been cut. Once cut successfully, its value can increase a thousand times. It’s easy to understand why the owner of the Joker diamond went to the best diamond cutter he knew, Kaplan. The cutter studied the diamond for twelve whole months.
When he felt he was ready to start work, he discovered a flaw (瑕疵). He had to begin with his calculations (计算) all over again, or he might have made the stone useless. Six more months passed, and Kaplan finally said to the owner, “I am ready to start my work. There will be one excellent diamond that will be comparable to any in the world, plus eleven small diamonds of first-class quality.” Kaplan waited a few more days until he felt he was in the best physical and mental (精神的) condition possible. He picked up his tools and held his breath as he made the first
blow. The diamond split (切开) exactly as he promised.Joker found one of the biggest diamonds in the world _______.
| A．in a minute | B．at the foot of a big mountain |
| C．in his own backyard | D．in a garage |
A diamond dealer is a person _______,
| A．in the diamond business | B．who stores diamonds |
| C．who cuts diamonds | D．who sells diamonds |
When the diamond was resold, _______.
| A．the dealer lost a lot of money |
| B．Joker made some more money |
| C．the dealer got 800,000 dollars |
| D．Kaplan got 800,000 dollars |
The owner of the diamond thought that if the diamond was cut successfully it might be worth _______.
| A．$300,000 | B．$500, 000 |
| C．$300, 000,000 | D．$800, 000, 000 |
Kaplan studied the diamond for _______.
| A．one and a half years | B．more than half a year |
| C．over eighteen months | D．more than nineteen months |
When I was 18, I had a motorbike accident that put me in a coma for three months. The doctors said there was little chance of my coming out of it, but my identical twin, Marcus, didn’t believe them and carried on talking to me. My first words when I came to myself were, “Hello, Marcus. ”Even though I had no memory of my own name, or that the woman crying at my bedside was my mother, I knew Marcus immediately; it was like a genetic(遗传的)memory. just felt close to him.
As weeks went by, I still could remember nothing before the accident. Marcus was the only person I could relate to.
I had to relearn everything, and Marcus helped me. Because of my twin I wasn’t scared of having lost my memory; I believed everything he said. He became my memory, telling me about my school, friends, previous girlfriends and holidays, showing me family photographs, and telling me how perfect I was.
With his encouragement I slowly recovered and tried to become the person everyone around me loved. Then years later, when my memories flooded back, I learned that I was anything but perfect—I was troublesome, selfish, and now very angry with Marcus for having lied to me.
But finally I understood. Out of love, Marcus had chosen not to tell me about my dark side. He wanted me to have a fresh start—and in fact I had one. Thanks to him, I was able to get married and have kids. I’m 46 now, and feel as if I’m in the third stage of my life. I know all there is to know, and wouldn’t want it any other way.Which of the following words best describes Marcus?
| A．Dishonest. | B．Thoughtful. | C．Careful. | D．Strict. |
According to the text, the author_____.
| A．felt very close to Marcus when he first woke up |
| B．didn’t get his memories back until months later |
| C．had been very popular before the accident |
| D．remembered nothing but his own name when he first woke up |
How did the author feel when he first got his memories back?
| A．Angry. | B．Excited | C．Guilty. | D．Lonely. |
What was the author’s purpose in writing the text?
| A．To tell us the importance of being honest. |
| B．To explain the meaning of success. |
| C．To express his gratitude to his twin. |
| D．To show how he had suffered. |
Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
| A．My Twin Rewrote My Childhood |
| B．An Accident Destroyed My Life |
| C．Family Will Always Be with You |
| D．Friends Share Everything |
阅读下面短文，并根据文章后的要求答题（请注意问题后的词数要求）。
(1)Although many Chinese students say they have a good knowledge of English grammar, most would admit(承认) that their spoken English is poor. Whenever I speak to Chinese students, they always say, “My spoken English is poor.” However, their spoken English does not have to remain poor! I would suggest that there may be some reasons for their problems with spoken English.
(2)First, they can’t find suitable words to express themselves because of limited vocabulary. Clearly the better answer is to expand(扩展) their vocabulary. However, you can speak with a limited vocabulary if your attitude is positive. Others will follow you as long as you use the words that you know.
(3)Second, they are afraid of _____________________. Sometimes they make mistakes when they are speaking because they are shy and nervous. Yet students should remember that their goal should be FLUENCY AND ACCURACY. You want to make yourself understood, to talk to someone in English ,as quickly and as well as you can, even if sometimes you may use a wrong word or tense, but it doesn’t matter because the person you are speaking to will understand you and ignore your mistakes.
(4)Third, no enough attention is paid to listening. You have one mouth but two ears! All that is heard is necessary for you to start speaking.
(5)Fourth, most Chinese students are inactive rather than active language learners. Instead of actively finding opportunities to improve their spoken English, they passively wait for speaking opportunities(机会) to come to them and wonder why their spoken English always remains poor. If you have positive attitude, then you will see English opportunities wherever you go.What’s the main idea of the passage？( no more than 10 words)
Fill in the blank in Para 3 with proper words. (no more than 3 words)
What does the underlined word “they” mean in Para 5？(no more than 3 words)
Complete the following statement with proper words. (no more than 2 words)
They don’t know how to express their meaning properly because of __________.What does the writer think most Chinese students should do to improve their spoken English according to para 5 ? ( no more than 10 words)
Having friends may well keep you healthier and help you deal with stress better. Some studies show that people with close friends have a greater ability to fight disease than people who are alone.
Make friendship a priority (优先考虑的事). Find the time to be with friends even if it means letting the dishes unwashed for a while. When you can’t get together, use the phone to keep in touch. 洪都英语权所有www.hongduen.com！
Open up to close friends. Keeping a deep friendship requires a level of “heartfelt”intimacy(亲密). Don’t be afraid to express your inner fears and disappointments. Listen to your friends when they have problems, but offer advice only when it’s wanted. Help raise friends’ self-esteem when they are shaken by a job loss, or other difficulties.洪都英语权所有www.hongduen.com！
Have different friends for different activities, such as going to the movies, singing in a choir, and joining in a bowling league. 洪都英语权所有www.hongduen.com！
Don’t’ wait for a friend to ask a favor. When a friend has the flu, offer to go to the store or drive the children to their after-school activities.
Never take a friendship for granted. Like a good marriage, friendship needs care and patience. Become a joiner. Find a group that matches your interests. 洪都英语权所有www.hongduen.com！
洪都英语权所有www.hongduen.com！
Talk to strangers. Conversations started in museums, laundry rooms, or bookstores can lead to firm friendships.
Enroll in an adult-education course. A classroom is an ideal place to meet others with similar interests.People with close friends have a ability to fight disease than people who are alone.
| A．less | B．greater | C．poorer | D．little |
According to the passage, you’d better offer advice to your friends .
| A．at any moment | B．only when they are happy |
| C．only when they want it | D．only when you are glad |
What we should do to have friends according to the author?
| A．Make friendship a priority. | B．Open up to close friends. |
| C．Never take a friendship for granted. | D．All the above. |
Which of the statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．You should have different friends for the same activities. |
| B．You should wait for a friend to ask a favor. |
| C．You should avoid talking with strangers in museums, laundry rooms, or bookstores. |
| D．You should never take a friendship for granted. |
The underlined word “enroll” in the last paragraph means “”.
| A．give | B．join | C．get | D．catch |
This is the front page of the Simple English Wikipedia. Wikipedias are places where people work together to write encyclopedias(百科) in different languages. We use simple English words and grammar here. The Simple English Wikipedia is for everyone! That includes children and adults who are learning English.
There are 59,298 articles on the Simple English Wikipedia. All of the pages are free to use. They have all been published under both the Creative Commons Attribution / Share-Alike Licence 3.0 and the GNU Free Documentation Licence. You can help here! You may change these pages and make the new pages. Read the help pages and other good pages to learn how to write pages here. If you need help, you may ask questions at Simple talk.
When writing articles here:
Use easy words and shorter sentences. This lets people who know little English read them.
Write good pages. The best encyclopedia pages have useful, well written information.
Use the pages to learn and teach. These pages can help people learn English. You can also use them to make a new Wikipedia to help other people.
Simple does not mean little. Writing in Simple English means that simple words are used. It does not mean readers want simple information. Articles do not have to be short to be simple; expand articles, include a lot of information, but use basic vocabulary.
Be bold! Your article does not have to be perfect, because other editors will fix it and make it better. And most importantly, do not be afraid to start and make articles better yourself.Wikipedia is a website for people to____.
| A．show their special photos and perfect videos in different languages |
| B．have a chat with different friends who know little English |
| C．see the latest famous films and TV programs |
| D．work together to write all kinds of useful information in different languages |
From the second paragraph, we know that_____.
| A．all of the articles on the Simple English Wikipedia are not free |
| B．the number of the articles on the Simple English is less than 60,000 |
| C．You can’t make new pages. |
| D．you can never change the pages or articles on the website |
If you want to write articles for the Simple English Wikipedia, you should____.
| A．learn how to write pages in a famous university first |
| B．use advanced English grammar and professional terms |
| C．use easy words and shorter sentences to describe valuable information |
| D．write articles only for children |
According to the text, we know that Simple talk is to_____.
| A．offer different kinds of friends from all over the world |
| B．talk with the editor who can help you publish your articles |
| C．help you solve questions about writing pages here |
| D．teach you simple English |
From the text we can learn that____.
| A．these pages can be changed to teach others who are learning English |
| B．your articles have to be perfect, or they will be refused |
| C．you can write your articles simply because readers want simple information |
| D．the articles you write are mainly for adults |
“Colour” and “color”, “favourite” and “favorite”···Have you ever wondered why Americans spell those words without a “u”? Is it because they are lazy?
Of course not. In fact, the difference in spelling was created by Noah Webster (1758—1843). He is a teacher who reformed English to make American identity stronger. Linguists（语言学家） celebrated his 250th birthday on October 16. After the Revolutionary War(1775—1783), Webster believed that Americans should have their own dictionary, rather than rely on British versions（版本）. He dropped the British “u” in some words. And he changed “centre” into “center” for children to learn English by spelling words more like they sounded.
Webster wasn’t shy about expressing his opinions. In defining（定义） preposterous, he wrote: “A republican government in the hands of females is preposterous.”
Webster spent 28 years on the project before completing the 70,000-word dictionary in 1828 with his American-style spellings. He also added local words. His dictionary was widely used in schools. Linguists believed it helped a new nation achieve unity and cultural independence at a time when most were focused on political freedom.
“He was the shaper of our language and the shaper of American identity,” said Joshua Kendall, who is working on a biography（传记） about Webster. “He at last bonded（联合） us through our language.”According to the passage, when he worked on his dictionary, Noah Webster did all of the following EXCEPT______.
| A．dropping “u” in all the British words |
| B．changing “centre” into “center” |
| C．adding local words |
| D．expressing his opinion. |
When did Noah Webster probably begin his project of the dictionary?
| A．In 1758 | B．In 1783 | C．In 1800 | D．In 1828 |
Why did Noah Webster create these differences in his dictionary?
| A．Because he wanted to make English simple and easy. |
| B．Because he wanted American English to have it own characteristics（特征）. |
| C．Because he wanted to make American English the best in the world. |
| D．Because he wanted to show that the USA is stronger than the UK. |
Which of the following word can best describe Noah Webster’s work?
| A．Interesting | B．Boring | C．Unfinished | D．Meaningful |
Which of the following would probably be the best title for the passage?
| A．Webster |
| B．American identity |
| C．The shaper of American English |
| D．Spelling difference between American and British English. |