The time may soon come when we say goodbye to most of the world’s languages. Today humans express themselves in over 6,000 different languages. But that is quickly changing. Many scientists say that over half of these languages will disappear within the next 50 years. After 100 years, the languages used in the world will not be more than 20.
Why? It is because people from different cultures live and work together much more often than before. This brings changes. The languages of the world’s main culture are replacing the languages of the smaller cultures. Most international trade takes place in world languages such as English. People respect their own cultures and traditions, but when it comes to getting a job, knowing a world language is often necessary. It may mean the difference between success and failure.
Technology works on the change of languages in an even more amazing way. Modern media such as radio and television give young people in developing countries much knowledge about the world. But this knowledge doesn’t come in words from the mouths of their parents or the elders in their neighborhood. It usually comes in the language of a different culture.
People in different cultures think it good for them to share a popular language. They can quickly share ideas and work together. Knowing the same language means easier communication and is a basis for trust.
Is the death of a small local language such a terrible thing? The answer is maybe. Many cultures may have words for many useful things we know nothing about. If their languages die, their valuable wisdom may be lost forever. The future of the world’s language depends on our actions now. Will we protect endangered languages or allow them to quietly disappear?
Time will have the last word.Scientists say that within 50 years, perhaps, there will be only_____ languages in the world.
| A．no more than 20 | B．over 3,000 |
| C．4,000 | D．around 3,000 |
According to the passage, if all the people in the world knew a major world language, _____.
| A．radio and television would all use the language |
| B．it would be easier for them to share their ideas |
| C．lessons at schools would be taught in the language |
| D．people would respect their own culture more |
We can know that if nobody spoke the languages of smaller cultures, _____.
| A．people would find working together was difficult. |
| B．knowledge would come from the mouths of the elders |
| C．many of the words for things we do not know would be lost |
| D．there would be no smaller cultures in the world |
By saying “Time will have the last word.”, the writer means “_____”.
| A．let us wait and see |
| B．we have time to do something |
| C．it is too late to do anything |
| D．it is only a problem of time |
Diary of a Do – It – Yourself Book
This book based on Greg Hefley’s own “diary” lets kids express themselves in an exciting way. In the book, kids will be asked: What was the best dream you have ever had? The worst thing you have ever eaten? The best secret you have ever heard? This Do – It – Yourself Book is unique and special because it has blank pages for readers to write their own stories and keep their own diaries.
Author: Jeff Kinney
List Price: $10.95
Price: $6.57 Buy it on Amazon.com.
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Train to Somewhere
Marianne, heading west with fourteen other children on a train, is sure her mother will show up at one of the stations along the way. Stop after stop goes by, and there is no sign of her mother in the crowds that come to look over the children. No one shows any interest in adopting shy Marianne, either. But that is all right. She has to be free for her mother to claim her. Then the train stopped at its final stop, a town called Somewhere…
Author: Eve Bunting
List Price: $6.95
Price: $6.95 Buy it on Amazon.com.
You save: $0.00（0%）
Chinese Children's Favorite Stories
This volume of beloved Chinese stories contains a delightful(令人高兴的) selection from the rich store of Chinese legend. Discover many delightful animal characters as well as Chang’e and Guan Yin. Retold for an international audience, the stories with beautiful pictures will give children aged six to ten in other countries a chance to learn about both the tradition and culture of China.
Author: Mingmei Yip
List Price: $18.95
Price: $12.89 Buy it on Amazon.com.
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The Way Science Works
The perfect introduction to show how science explains the world around us! Eye-opening experiments and extraordinary photography bring science to life. Discover science in action from the principles that explain everyday facts to the theories behind the technology in today’s fast-moving world. Full of facts about famous scientists, technology news and more.
Author: Robin Kerrod
List Price: $24.99
Price: $16.49 Buy it on Amazon.com.
You save: $8.50（34%） Diary of a Do–It–Yourself Book is different from other books because you can .
| A．ask the author questions |
| B．write your own stories in the book |
| C．have a chance to see beautiful photos |
| D．read many interesting stories about the author |
Amazon. com gives no discount on .
| A．Diary of a Do-It-Yourself Book |
| B．Train to Somewhere |
| C．Chinese Children’s Favorite Stories |
| D．The Way Science Works |
Based on Train to Somewhere, how many children head west on the train.
| A．15. | B．14. | C．13. | D．16. |
Chinese Children's Favorite Stories is written for .
| A．Chinese children aged 6 to 10 |
| B．teenagers in other countries |
| C．junior students in other countries |
| D．foreign children aged 6 to 10 |
Whose book would you like to read if you are interested in science and technology?
| A．Jeff Kinney’s. | B．Eve Bunting's. |
| C．Mingmei Yip’s. | D．Robin Kerrod’s. |
Bend over, take a deep breath and drink some water! This is just one of hundreds of tips you might get if you have the hiccups(打嗝). Hiccups are so mysterious. We really don’t know why they start and why they stop.
Everyone has a favorite cure(治愈方法) for a case of the hiccups. Some people think that a good scare(惊恐) is necessary to get well. Others eat a teaspoon of sugar. Still others drink a glass of water with a knife in it.
An American man named Jack O’Leary said he had hiccupped 160 million times over a period of eight years. He tried 60,000 cures, but none of them worked. At last he prayed to Saint Jude, the saint of Hopeless cases, and his hiccupping stopped immediately.
It took a British plumber eight months to cure his hiccups. People from all over the world wrote him letters with suggestions for getting well. He tried them all, but the hiccups continued. Finally, he drank a “secret” mixture someone had sent him. By that evening his hiccups were gone.
Why did these cures work for these two men? No one really know. But people who have studied many cases of hiccups have an idea – hiccups usually go away if you believe in the cure.. How did Jack O’Leary stop his hiccups?
| A．He took a deep breath. | B．He prayed to Saint Jude |
| C．He ate a teaspoon of sugar. | D．He drank a “secret” mixture. |
. The British plumber spent in stopping his hiccups.
| A．4 hours | B．2 days |
| C．8 months | D．8 years |
. might be the best cure for hiccups according to the passage.
| A．Cold water | B．A spoonful of salt |
| C．Special pills | D．What you believe in |
. From this passage, we can learn .
| A．Saint Jude is an expert in curing the hiccups |
| B．the reason why the hiccups start and why the hiccups stop |
| C．some people think that a good scare is a cure for a case of hiccups |
| D．the British plumber drank a “secret” mixture given by an experienced doctor and then became well |
. What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．Different ways to stop hiccups. |
| B．What makes hiccups happen. |
| C．How to get hiccups. |
| D．Jack O’Leary’s hiccups. |
There are many ways to find a job. It can be as easy as walking into a neighborhood store to look at its announcement board. Local stores often have areas where people can put small signs telling what kind of service they need or can provide. Such services include caring for children or cleaning houses.
Or, job searchers can look in the newspaper. Local newspapers have employment announcements placed by companies seeking workers.
Another popular tool for finding jobs is the Internet. For example, people in four hundred and fifty cities around the world can use the Craigslist Web site to buy objects, meet people or find a job. Craigslist says that it receives two million new job listings each month.
Another useful way to find a job is through a college or university. For example, students at the University of Texas in Austin can go to the Career Exploration Center to get help in finding a job. Of course, looking for a job requires knowing what kind of work you want to do. For example, there is a book called “What Color is Your Parachute (降落伞)?” by Richard Bolles. This book has been helping people choose a career (职业) since it was first published in nineteen seventy.
Some experts also help people find jobs. Susan W. Miller owns a company called California Career Services in Los Angeles. She says her company helps people find jobs by first helping them understand their strengths, goals and interests. Then she provides them with methods and resources to help them find the right job.What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Finding a job. |
| B．College students’ part-time jobs. |
| C．Craigslist Web site. |
| D．The relation between study and work. |
“What Color is Your Parachute?” is a book which gives tips to those who want to _____.
| A．work on the airplane | B．buy a parachute |
| C．publish a book | D．find a suitable job |
It can be learned from the passage that ______.
| A．companies often put job information in local shops |
| B．the Internet is the most popular tool for job hunters in the USA |
| C．Susan W. Miller’s company is helping people choose careers |
| D．California Career Services mainly serves university students |
How many ways of finding a job are mentioned in the passage?
| A．Three. | B．Four. |
| C．Five. | D．Six. |
Frank Woolworth was born in Rodman, New York., in 1852. His family were very poor farmers, and there was never enough to eat. Frank decided he did not want to be farmer. He took a short business course, and went to work as a salesman in a large city.
Woolworth realized he had a natural skill for showing goods to attract people’s interest, but he soon learned something more important. One day his boss told him to sell some odds and ends (小商品 ) for as much as he could get. Frank put all these things on one table with a sign which said five cents each. People fought and pushed to buy the things and the table was soon cleared.
Soon afterwards, Woolworth opened his own store., selling goods at five and ten cents. But he had another lesson to learn before he became successful. That is, if you want to make money by selling low-price goods, you have to buy them in large quantities directly form the factories. Once, for example, Woolworth went to Germany and placed an order for knives. The order was so large that the factory had to keep running 24 hours a day for a whole year. In this way, the price of the knives was cut down by half.
By 1919, Woolworth had over 1000 stores in the US and Canada, and opened his first store in London. He made many millions and his name became famous throughout the world. He always ran his business according to strict rules, of which the most important was: “ The customer is always right.” Frank took a short business course in order to ____________.
| A．earn more money for his family |
| B．learn something from a salesman |
| C．get away from the farm |
| D．get enough to eat. |
. The price of the knives was cut down by half because ______________.
| A．the factory workers worked 24 hours a day. |
| B．knives were ordered in large quantities directly from the factory. |
| C．the knives were made in Germany, where labour (劳动力) was cheap. |
| D．the knives were produced in one factory. |
_____________ make Woolworth a world-famous man.
| A．His business skills and his wealth. |
| B．The low price of the goods he sold. |
| C．His trip to Germany and his huge order of knives. |
| D．His natural skill for showing things. |
The belief that : “ The customer is always right” suggests that _______________.
| A．whenever there is a quarrel between the customer and shop assistant, the customers are always right. |
| B．If you want to succeed, the rule is the only way. |
| C．stores must always follow the customer’s orders if they want to make more money. |
| D．stores should do their best to meet the customer’s needs if they want to be successful. |
A rainforest is an area covered by tall trees with the total high rainfall spreading quite equally through the year and the temperature rarely falling below 16℃. Rainforests have a great effect on the world environment because they can take in heat from the sun and adjust the climate. Without the forest cover, these areas would reflect more heat into the atmosphere，warming the rest of the world. Losing the rainforests may also influence wind and rainfall patterns, potentially causing certain natural disasters all over the world.
In the past hundred years, humans have begun destroying rainforests in search of three major resources : land for crops, wood for paper and other products, land for raising farm animals. This action affects the environment as a whole. For example，a lot of carbon dioxide in the air comes from burning the rainforests. People obviously have a need for the resources we gain from cutting trees but we will suffer much more than we will benefit. There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, when people cut down trees, generally they can only use the land for a year or two. Secondly, cutting large sections of rainforests may provide a good supply of wood right now, but in the long run it actually reduces the world’ s wood supply.Rainforests are often called the world’s drug store. More than 25% of the medicines we use today come from plants in rainforests. However, fewer than 1% of rainforest plants have been examined for their medical value. It is extremely likely that our best chance to cure diseases lies somewhere in the world’s shrinking rainforests. Rainforests can help to adjust the climate because they________.
| A．reflect more heat into the atmosphere |
| B．bring about high rainfall throughout the world |
| C．rarely cause the temperature to drop lower than 16℃ |
| D．absorb the heat from the sun, reducing the effect of heat from the sun on the earth |
What does the word “this” underlined in the third paragraph refer to?
| A．We will lose much more than we can gain. |
| B．Humans have begun destroying rainforests. |
| C．People have a strong desire for resources. |
| D．Much carbon dioxide comes from burning rainforests. |
It can be inferred from the text that________.
| A．we can get enough resources without rainforests |
| B．there is great medicine potential in rainforests |
| C．we will grow fewer kinds of crops in the gained land |
| D．the level of annual rainfall affects wind patterns |
. What might be the best title for the text?
| A．How to Save Rainforests? |
| B．How to Protect Nature? |
| C．Rainforests and the Environment. |
| D．Rainforests and Medical Development. |