If you hear the sound of a handset beeping(手机响) in a bag or pocket, you could be forgiven for thinking that someone has received a text message. But nowadays there are so many different ways of messaging someone that it could spell the death of the traditional text as we know it.
Text messaging, or texting, is the art of sending a short, electronic message between two mobile phones or tablets(平板电脑). Users pay a certain amount to send messages via(通过) SMS—short message service. But in the last few years, messaging in this way has been on the decline(下降).
The rise of smartphones and tablets has seen an increase in the use of instant messaging apps(即时通信应用程序) , which take the place of traditional texts. Using wireless Internet connections, people can send limitless numbers of IMs to their friends for very little cost. Unlike traditional mobile texts, the user usually only has to pay to download the app once, after which each message they send is free.
Web developers soon got the message. Instant messaging apps have become popular all over the world. WhatsApp in America and Europe, WeChat in China and Kakao Talk in South Korea are but a few which have attracted hundreds of millions of people, who use the apps to chat to their friends in real time. These apps allow people to send picture messages for free—something which previously was quite costly.
Research company Informa said that almost 19 billion messages were sent per day using chat apps in 2012, compared with 17. 6 billion SMS texts. And it expects the chat app market to grow t0 50 billion per day by 2014. So does this really mean the end for communication by text?
Pamela Clark—Dickson from Informa doesn't think so. She says that there are a large number of people who use normal mobile phones, particularly in developing countries, who prefer the SMS messaging tool. There is an awfully big base of mobile phone users who are still going to find that SMS is the best messaging experience for them for a while.
根据材料内容选择最佳答案，并将其标号填人题前括号内。According to Paragraph 3 , which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Instant messaging apps are becoming more and more popular nowadays. |
| B．Compared with instant messaging, traditional texts are more popular now. |
| C．Instant messaging and SMS messaging are both ways we can chat with others. |
| D．More and more people choose to use smartphones and tablets. |
The underlined phrase "got the message" in Paragraph 4 means ______
| A．received an SMS message |
| B．got an instant message |
| C．understood what was wanted |
| D．got a piece of information |
Which of the following is true?
| A．people sent 19 billion SMS texts every day in 2012 |
| B．All the messages sent on mobile phones and computers are free |
| C．Picture messages can be sent at a high price if you use Wechat |
| D．To send instant messages , people usually have to download the app first |
What can we learn from the last paragragh?
| A．p amela Clark-Dickson doesn’t support the SMS messaging |
| B．Few people like sending messages via SMS at phones |
| C．Many people are still senging messages on mobile phones |
| D．SMS messaging has disappeared in developed courtries. |
What is the best title for text?
| A．the death of text messaging |
| B．How to send messages via SMS |
| C．SMS costs less than IMs |
| D．WeChat in China is popular. |
Long long ago, a king had a big rock placed in the middle of a very busy road. Then he hid nearby to see if anyone would move the rock out of the way to make it convenient for others. Some of the king’s supporters came past and simply walked around it. Many others complained(抱怨) about the rock. To the king’s surprise, no one tried to move it out of the way.
Finally, a poor farmer came along, carrying a load of old vegetables. When he saw the rock, he put down his load, and tried to move the heavy rock to the side of the road. No one stopped to help him. At last, after much pushing and straining, and with no help, the farmer got the rock to the side of the road. As he bent down to pick up his vegetables, he found a small bag lying in the road. There was a lot of money and a note in the bag. The note was from the king. It said that the money was for the person who moved the rock out of the way.
Taking responsibility（责任）is about solving hard problems. The farmer takes responsibility when no one else is prepared to. It does not always mean that you will get a reward(报酬), but it is a value that builds up a community, and makes life better for all of us.Why did the king put a big rock in the middle of the road?
| A．To see if anyone would move the rock away. |
| B．To see who was the most powerful. |
| C．To find out who was the most poorest. |
| D．To see how people walked around it. |
Who moved the rock away?
| A．The king. | B．The king’s supporters. | C．The wealthy. | D．A poor farmer. |
The story mainly tells us that _________.
| A．everyone should learn to take responsibility |
| B．nobody likes to solve hard problems |
| C．taking responsibility always means getting a reward |
| D．the poor always take more responsibility than the rich |
American and British people both speak English of course. But sometimes it does not seem like the same language. In fact, there are some important differences between British English and American English.
First of all, they sound very different. Often, Americans don’t say each word separately. They say several words together. Americans may say “I dunno” instead of “I don’t know”. Or they may say “Whaddya say?” instead of “What did you say?” however, the British are more careful in their speech. They usually say all the words and keep them separate.
Words sometimes have different meanings too. Some American words are never used in England. The same thing is true of some British words in America. For example, the vocabulary（词汇）for cars and driving is very different. Americans drive trucks, but in England people drive lorries.
Many expressions are also different in the two countries. In England, if you are going to telephone your friends, you “phone them up”. In America, you “give them a call”.
There’re also some differences in grammar. For example, when Americans ask a question., they say “Do you have a storybook?” But the British often say “Have you a storybook?”
All these differences can be confusing （易混淆的）if you are learning English. But most languages are like this. Languages change over time. When people live in separate places, the languages change in different ways. This is what has happened to English. It can also happen to other languages, such as French. Many people in Canada speak French but their French is very different from the French of France.What does the word “separate” mean in the passage? It means “____”
| A．含糊的 | B．快速的 | C．分开的 | D．简略的 |
The vocabulary for cars and driving is _____.
| A．an example of British English |
| B．an example of American English |
| C．the same in America and England |
| D．not the same in America and England |
Language _________.
| A．are always changing as time passes |
| B．keep unchanged even if time changes |
| C．are the same in all places |
| D．are easy to learn |
This passage is mainly about ______.
| A．English vocabulary |
| B．how American sounds are different from British sounds |
| C．the way the British say words |
| D．some differences between American and British English |
A
| British Study Tours Using the wonderful railway system （铁路） we offer an unusual holiday, sport and study program （计划）. Your hotel is a train: eat and sleep on the train and spend each day in a different part of Britain. |
| Summer Schools in France We offer summer schools for students between the ages of 12 and 16. Live with a French family and choose from different activities including horse-riding, football, swimming and skiing. |
| Summer in Australia We will arrange （安排）a program for your students. All our courses take place at the college in Sydney. Morning classes are held in Chinese; evening classes on Australian history are in English. We offer an exciting program of evening activities including music. Dance and theatre. |
| Holiday Programs in Germany We offer morning classes in German at all levels （水平）from beginner upwards. In the afternoon you are free to join in our mountain walks or to go shopping in the nearby town. In the evening we organize （组织）a full program for fun. All ages welcome. |
If you like traveling by train, you can go to __________.
| A．Summer School in France | B．Summer in Australia |
| C．Holiday Programs in Germany | D．British Study Tours |
If you want to make your English better, which programs will you choose?
| A．Holiday Programs in Germany and British Study Tours. |
| B．Summer in Australia and Summer School in France. |
| C．British Study Tours and Summer in Australia. |
| D．Summer School in France and holiday Programs in Germany. |
“Summer School in France” is different from the others in that you can ____.
| A．go at any time of the year | B．stay with a local family | C．go at any age | D．do sports |
This passage was written to _____.
| A．ask people to have a holiday |
| B．attract （吸引）people to take part in their programs |
| C．introduce some beautiful places |
| D．ask people to study foreign languages |
Simon is a student in a middle school. He’s very strong. He goes to No.6 Middle School on a bus. He’s good at English. But he’s often late for his English classes. His father is a doctor. He’s big and tall. He works in a big hospital. His mother is a nurse. She’s slim and pretty. They are in the same hospital. They both work hard. He loves his father and mother very much. His father and mother both go to work by bike. We can see bikes here and there. And China is a “country(国家) of bikes”.
根据上文，判断下列句子正误.(正确的写T,错误的写F)Simon is a student of No.6 Middle School.
Simon’s father and mother are in different(不同的) hospitals.
His father is an English teacher so he’s good at English.
His mother is a nurse.
His mother and father go to work by bus.
Look! This is Li Mei’s room. What’s in her room? Her books are on the desk. This is one of her shoes. Where is the other one? Oh, It’s under the desk. She can not find her school bag. Where is it? Oh, It’s behind the door. Li Mei can not look after (照看)her things. Her mother often says to her, “ Li Mei , you must look after your things.”
读了这篇文章，请选择正确答案。Look ! One of Li Mei’s shoes is
| A．under the desk. | B．on the desk. | C．in the desk. | D．at the desk. |
This room is .
| A．Li Mei | B．Li Mei’s mother’s | C．Li Mei’s | D．Li Mei’s sister’s |
Heris behind the door.
| A．pencil | B．pen | C．school bag | D．book |
Li Mei’s often helps（帮助） her.
| A．classmate | B．sister | C．father | D．mother |
Where are Li Mei’s books? .
| A．It’s on the desk. | B．They are on the chair. |
| C．Under the desk. | D．On the desk. |