I was doing some Christmas shopping in a toy store and decided to look at Barbie dolls for my nieces. A nicely dressed little girl was excitedly looking through the Barbie dolls as well. As she was looking, a little boy came to the Pokemon toys. He was dressed neat-ly, but his clothes were obviously old. He was with his father as well, and kept picking up the Pokemon video toys. Each time he picked one up and looked at his father, his father shook his head and said,"No. "
The little girl had chosen her Barbie. However, she stopped and was watching them. Rather dejectedly, the boy had to give up the Pokemon toys and choose something else. The little girl put her Barbie back on the shelf, and ran over to the Pokemon toys. She excitedly picked up one and raced towards the checkout. I picked up my purchases and got in line behind them. Then, much to the little girl's delight, the little boy and his father got in line behind me. After the toy was paid for and bagged, the little girl handed it back to the cashier (收银员)and whispered something in her ear. The cas her smiled and put the package under the counter.
I paid for my purchases and was rearranging things when the little boy came up to the cashier. The cashier checked his purchases and said," Congratulations, you are my hundredth customer today, and you win a prize !" With that, she handed the little boy the Pokemon toys, and he could only stare in surprise. It was exactly what he had wanted ! The little girl and her father had been standing at the doorway during all of this. Then they walked out. As I walked back to my car, I heard the father ask his daughter why she had done that. I'll never forget what she said to him. "Daddy, didn't grandparents want me to buy something that would make me happy?" He said,"Of course they did, honey. " To which the little girl replied," Well, I just did !"
I feel very shocked to have witnessed the true spirit of Christmas in that toy store, in the form of a little girl who understands more about the meaning of this festival than most adults I know.The underlined word "dejectedly" in the second paragraph probably means __________.
| A.delightedly | B.disappointedly |
| C.excitedly | D.unexpectedly |
How did the little boy get the Pokemon toys?
| A.His father bought him the Poknemon toys. |
| B.Fortunately, he was the hundredth customer and won the Poknemon toys. |
| C.The cashier felt sympathy for the little boy and gave him the Poknemon toys. |
| D.The little girl bought the Poknemon toys for him. |
What did the little girl mean when saying " Daddy, didn't grand-parents want me to buy something that would make me happy?"
| A.Her grandparents wanted her to be happy. |
| B.Making the little boy happy made her happy. |
| C.The Poknemon toys made her happy. |
| D.Her grandparents hoped that she could help others. |
Homesick is a compound word made up of HOME and SICK. You know what each word means on its own, of course. But think about what the words mean when they are used together. Homesick means SICK FOR HOME.
Now think for a minute about SEASICK. If you change the word home in the definition(释义)to the word sea, would the definition fit SEASICK? Seasick means SICK BY THE MOVEMENT ON THE SEA. When you are homesick ,the only place you want to be is at home. When you are seasick, the last place you want to be is at sea.
Have you ever heard of a person being heartsick? Heartsick doesn’t mean that something is wrong with a person’s heart. people are heartsick when they are hurt deep inside and when they feel as if their hearts are broken.
But, on the other hand, we have such compound words as handshake, handstand, and handbag. Perhaps you may write definitions for them.The word SEASICK means“______”.
| A.to be eager to go to the sea | B.what has nothing to do with the sea |
| C.to be sick because of the sea | D.that the sea is terrible |
When we say a person is heartsick, we mean that________.
| A.his heart is sick | B.his heart needs testing |
| C.he’s sorry at heart | D.he’s terribly disappointed and sad |
“The last place you want to be” is_________.
| A.where you want to be most | B.where you want to be least |
| C.where you go the last | D.the last place you go to |
The definitions of handshake, handstand and handbag are_______.
| A.easy to know | B.difficult to know |
| C.impossible to learn | D.unnecessary to learn |
French lessons in France
Whatever your level is, choosing to take French lessons in France is the best way to learn French. Place yourself in the local culture and practice your newly found skills in your free time.
You will be taught by native (本地的) French speakers who have a love for teaching and use excellent teaching techniques. Lessons are interesting and you will speak French on the first day both inside and outside the classroom.
Learners
● Suitable for all levels from beginners to advanced (高级的)
● Over 18 years old
Class Schedule (课表)
● Classes start on Mondays and run throughout the summer.
● Please arrive at the school by 815 am on your first day for a short level test. It will help to place you in the right class.
● Classes run from Monday to Friday each week.
● Classes start at 845 am each day depending on your level.
● You will have 3 classes per day lasting 55 minutes each.
● You will have a short break between classes.
Free Time and Tours
● The school offers a lot of cultural activities throughout the week. These activities can include cooking lessons, wine and cheese tasting, visits to Paris, cycling, movies and much more.
● You will have plenty of free time to explore (探索) the local area and practice your newly found language skills or just relax on this learning holiday with a difference.
Other Information
● You should bring a small dictionary, pens and paper with you.
Get more from your holiday, have fun, meet new people and take home a new language skill that will stay with you forever.What is special about the French courses?
| A.They are taught in small groups. |
| B.The teachers are young French speakers. |
| C.People learn French in and out of class. |
| D.They will offer a wine tasting license. |
On the first day, the students should ______.
| A.take a language test | B.pay for their study |
| C.do a survey | D.introduce themselves to the class |
How many lessons are there in a week?
| A.21. | B.30. | C.15. | D.12. |
friends come to visit us in the evening, they spend their time telling us they are in a hurry and looking at their watches. It isn’t that our friends are all very busy, it is just that When we haven’t got a television. People think that we are very strange. “But what do you do in the evening?”,they are always asking. The answer is very simple. Both my wife and I have hobbies. We certainly don’t spend our evenings staring at the walls. My wife enjoys cooking and painting and often attends evening classes in foreign languages. This is particularly useful as we often go abroad for our holidays. I collect stamps and I’m always busy with my collection. Both of us enjoy listening to the music and playing chess together.
Sometimes there are power cuts and we have no electricity in the house. This does not worry us, we just light candles and carry on with what we were doing before. Our friends, however, are lost---no television!---So they don’t know what to do. On such evenings our house is very full ---they all come to us. They all have a good time. Instead of sitting in silence in front of the television, everybody talks and plays games. The couple have not got a television, because .
| A.they are not rich enough |
| B.they are strange people |
| C.they enjoy spending evenings in their own ways |
| D.they don’t know what to do when there are power cuts |
Both of them are interested in.
| A.learning languages | B.traveling |
| C.staying home alone | D.watching people play games |
At night when there is no electricity, the couple.
| A.have to stare at the walls | B.can do nothing but sit in silence |
| C.will have many visitors | D.have to go out for candles |
The best title for this passage is _____.
| A.Why Do We Need a Television? |
| B.Candle! But No Electricity! |
| C.Different Friends, Different Hobbies. |
| D.We Go Without Televisions! |
One day a lawyer’s wife fell ill, and he went to get a doctor. The doctor willingly came to see the woman and to do what he could for her, but before he went into the house, he made a short stop. He knew that the lawyer was famous for not paying his bills, even if they were due(正当的).He therefore said to the man.“But if I save your wife, I am afraid you may not pay me.”
“Sir,”replied the lawyer. “Here I have$500,,whether you cure my wife or you kill her. I'll give you all this.”
The doctor was reassured(使安心) and went into the house. When he reached the woman's bedside, it soon became clear to him that he could do little. She was seriously ill, and though he prescribed(开药方) her medicine, she soon died.
He told the lawyer he was very sorry, and then asked for the money which he had promised. “Did you kill my wife?”asked the lawyer. “Of course I didn't,” said the doctor. “Well! Did you cure my wife?” asked the man. “I'm afraid that was impossible,” replied the doctor.“Well, then since you neither killed my wife nor cured her, I have nothing to pay you.”One day a lawyer’s wife fell ill, and the lawyer_____ .
| A.cured his wife |
| B.got a doctor for her |
| C.got some medicine for her illness |
| D.promised to pay$500 to the doctor |
Before entering the lawyer’s house the doctor stopped for a while, because_____ .
| A.the doctor wanted to ask something about his wife's illness |
| B.the doctor thought it impossible to save the woman |
| C.the doctor was afraid that the lawyer would refuse to pay him |
| D. the lawyer was too poor to pay his bills |
Because the lawyer’s wife was seriously ill, the doctor_____ .
| A.couldn’ t do much and didn't save her life |
| B.tried his best and saved her at last |
| C.had to do everything he could for her |
| D.had to spend a lot of time to cure her |
From the story, we know_____ .
| A.the lawyer was very clever |
| B.how the lawyer's wife died |
| C.the doctor was stupid enough to be fooled |
| D.the lawyer was dishonest and that he fooled the doctor |
Towards the end of Middle English, a sudden change in pronunciation started, with vowels (元音) being pronounced shorter and shorter. From the 16th century the British had contact (接触) with many people from around the world. This meant that lots of new vocabulary entered the language. The invention of printing also meant that there was now a common language in print. Books became cheaper and more people learned to read. Spelling and grammar became fixed, and the dialect of London became the standard. In 1604 the first English dictionary came out.
Early Modern English and Late Modern English are mostly different in the number of words. Late Modern English has many more words, mainly because of the following two reasons: First, the Industrial Revolution (工业革命) led to the need for new words. Second, the British Empire covered one quarter of the earth’s surface, and the English language took in foreign words from many countries.
From around 1600, the English colonization (殖民地化) of North America led to American English. Some English pronunciations and words “froze” when they reached America. In some ways, American English is more like the English of Shakespeare than modern British English. Some expressions that are called “American English” are in fact from British expressions. They were kept in the colonies while lost for a time in Britain. Spanish also had an influence (影响) on American English. For example, words like canyon, ranch, stampede and vigilante are from Spanish. They entered English by the people of Spain who settled in the American West. French words and West African words also influenced American English.
Today, American English has a greater influence, because of the USA’s movies, television, popular music, trade and technology. The main difference between Early and Late Modern English lies in _____.
| A.vocabulary | B.pronunciation |
| C.spelling | D.grammar |
What helped to increase the vocabulary of Late Modern English?
a. the invention of printing
b. the Industrial Revolution
c. the colonization
d. the contact with other countries
| A.a, b, c | B.a, c, d | C.a, b, d | D.b, c, d |
From the passage, we can learn the word “canyon” is from _____.
| A.American dialect | B.African dialect |
| C.Spanish | D.French |
The third paragraph mainly talks about _____.
| A.English colonies in North America |
| B.the development of American English |
| C.other languages influence on American English |
| D.the difference between American English and British English |
The underlined word “froze” can best be replaced by _____.
| A.remained unchanged | B.disappeared |
| C.improved | D.kept active |