About five to seven million people who lived in England spoke English at the end of the 16th century. Later in the next century, people from England overcame other parts of the world and because of that, English began to be spoken in many other countries. Today, more people speak English as their first, second or a foreign language than ever before.
Look at this example:
British Betty: Would you like to see my flat?
American Amy: Yes. I’d like to come up to your apartment.
So why has English changed over time? All languages change and develop when cultures meet. At first the English spoken in England between about AD 450 and 1150 was very different from the English spoken today. It was based more on German than the English we speak at present. Then between about AD 800 and 1150, English became less like German because those who ruled England spoke first Danish and later French. These new settlers improved the English language and especially its vocabulary. So by the 1600’s Shakespeare was able to make use of a wider vocabulary than ever before.
Finally by the 19th century the language was settled. At that time two big changes in English spelling happened: first Samuel Johnson wrote his dictionary and later Noah Webster wrote The American Dictionary of the English Language. The latter gave a separate identity to American English spelling.
English now is also spoken as a foreign or second language in South Asia. For example, India has a very large number of fluent English speakers because Britain ruled India from 1765 to 1947. During that time English became the language for government and education. Today the number of people learning English in China is increasing rapidly.When did English begin to be spoken in many other countries?
| A．In 16th century. |
| B．In 17th century. |
| C．In 18th century. |
| D．In 19th century. |
Shakespeare could use a wider vocabulary than ever before because English_______.
| A．developed when new settlers came to Britain |
| B．was based on Germany during the 5th century |
| C．became the language for government and education |
| D．was spoken wide all over the world |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．British settlers moved to America in the 18th. |
| B．It’s easy for Chinese people speak fluent English. |
| C．English once became the official language in India. |
| D．English was influenced by Danish invaders in AD 450 . |
What showed the differences of American English spelling?
| A．Samuel Johnson’s dictionary | B．Shakespeare’s books |
| C．French ruler’s language | D．Noah Webster’s dictionary |
For what purpose does the author write the passage?
| A．To settle English in many countries. |
| B．To understand English-speaking people. |
| C．To describe the development of English. |
| D．To tell people changes of American English. |
There are many sorts of spies. There are those employed by governments to protect their countries’ interests; there are those we find in fiction and film, like the famous James Bond; and then there are the spies of the business world. But now there is a new form of espionage (间谍): sports spying. It may be a profitable job – if the spy can find a buyer for the information.
Last week, British newspapers reported that the England national team had been secretly recorded by an unknown group of individuals.
Media suggested that bugs had picked up a discussion of team tactics (战术), as well as playful talk about athletes’ affairs and possible rewards for players if they manage to win the World Cup.
England officials immediately filed a suit to stop media from publishing the contents of the recordings. Little is known about the identities of the spies, but authorities doubt they have any connection to rival sides preparing for this summer’s competition in South Africa. Rather, it appears that the people who bugged the hotel meeting room are just after money. If they find the right buyer, they could get a lot of it.
Gambling in major sports, like football, involves much more than picking the winner of a particular match. People can also place bets on starting line-ups, the timing of substitutions and goals scored. Knowing a team’s tactics for a particular game, or for a series of games, can help gamblers to increase their chances of winning big money.
England manager Fabio Capello tried to play down the importance of game tactics. He argued that a team’s psychological preparation is the most vital. “It’s more important to train the mind, to find confidence, create a group and a winning mentality,” he said.
Perhaps of more interest to the casual fan are the discussions of the players’ relationships with wives and girlfriends. UK newspapers may be prevented from publishing the details, but some Britons might say, the chances of the recordings never being heard are about as good as those of England winning this year’s competition: slim to none.We may know from the first paragraph that ______________.
| A．the spies mentioned are all pursuing money |
| B．all the spies are employed by the government |
| C．James Bond belongs to spies of the business world |
| D．if a sport spy can find a buyer, he can make money |
What does the underlined word “bugs” probably mean?
| A．A small insect. | B．The devices used in the spying. |
| C．A kind of virus. | D．A kind of laptop computers. |
The group of individuals who spied the England national team____________.
| A．are from the rival sides for sure |
| B．probably intended to make money |
| C．are involved in gambling |
| D．knew a winning mentality for a team is important |
What can we infer from the last paragraph?
| A．The chance of the England team winning the African World Cup is very small. |
| B．Many people will never hear the recordings. |
| C．A fan will be more interested in the players’ relationships with wives and girlfriends. |
| D．No one can get any information from the UK newspapers for ever. |
Every year, it costs British students more and more to attend university. Students are graduating with larger and larger debts. So is a college degree really worth it?
In 2006, the UK government started to allow universities in England and Wales to charge British students tuition fees. As a result, more than 80 percent of students in England and Wales now take out a student loan in order to go to university.
They use the loan to pay for tuition fees and living expenses. Although the interest on student loans is quite low, it begins as soon as the student receives the loan.
The average student in England and Wales now graduates from university with a debt of around ￡12,000 (122,952 yuan). It means graduates have to struggle to pay rent on a flat, because they have to start paying back the student loan when they reach April after graduating. If you start to earn over ￡15,000 (153,630 yuan) a year, the government takes repayments directly from your monthly salary.
You might think that a person with a degree would find it easy to get a well-paid job. However, most people in “white collar jobs” seem to have a degree, so there is a lot of competition. Also, British companies tend to value work experience over a piece of paper.
All of the above is beginning to make British people question whether a university degree is really worth the money. Even before the credit crisis started, the BBC stated: “The number of British students at UK universities has fallen for the first time in recent history, from 1.97 million in 2007 to 1.96 million last year.”
Meanwhile, the British universities offer more and more of the available places to richer international students rather than poorer British students. What does the future hold for British higher education?What can we infer from the second paragraph?
| A．Universities’ charging students fees is quite common all over the world. |
| B．It’s unfair to charge college students fees in England and Wales. |
| C．Before 2006 the UK universities didn’t charge students tuition fees in England and Wales. |
| D．The UK universities are unwilling to carry out the government’s policy. |
What might be the reason that the number of British students at UK universities falls?
| A．It’s harder and harder for them to get a degree. |
| B．The credit crisis has great influnce on their families’ income. |
| C．College education costs them too much. |
| D．The competition to become a “white collar” is too fiece. |
What does the underlined words “a piece of paper” refer to?
| A．A written document from the bank. | B．A letter of recommendation. |
| C．A filled application form. | D．A diploma. |
Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
| A．More Profits for the Banks | B．College Life in the UK |
| C．Welcome! International Students | D．UK Universities Students Become Poorer |
No matter where he lives, 16-year-old Danny Lopez feels like an outsider: he is half-Mexican and half-white.
At his private high school in wealthy northern San Diego, California, US, Lopez is too brown to fit in, whereas for the Mexican side of his family in National City, just a dozen miles from the border, he is too white to belong.
Different from both sides, Lopez is silent in school. He focuses on his passion for baseball and working hard to improve the pitches (球场) that have kept him off the school team.
Mexican Whiteboy, by Matt de la Pena, is about a teenager’s search for identity. It was named as one of the Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults in 2009 by the US Young Adult Library Services Association.
When Lopez’s mother decides to go to live with her wealthy white boyfriend in San Francisco, he chooses to spend the summer with his father’s family in San Diego. It’s a trip to explore roots and self-identity, filled with unexpected friendship.
There he meets Uno, of mixed heritage (遗传) like himself, also with a divorced mom. Uno understands Danny’s split background and helps him improve his baseball skills. Both boys have big league dreams, but they both have to learn to come to terms with their mixed heritages before they can achieve their goals.
Aside from discussions of racism, Mexican Whiteboy takes on other issues, such as the importance of family and the negative influence of hiding the truth. It also shows how sports can draw cultures together.The reason why Lopez feels like an outsider lies in the fact that ___________.
| A．he is a Mexican | B．he lives in San Diego |
| C．he is half-white and half-Mexican | D．he studies in a private school |
Most probably “Mexican Whiteboy” is a ____________.
| A．book | B．club | C．newspaper | D．organization |
When Lopez found it is hard for him to fit in, he ____________.
| A．starts writing a book about himself |
| B．begins to look for identity with the help of Mexican Whiteboy |
| C．loses his interest in baseball |
| D．works in the fields in which he was kept off the school team |
Lopez and Uno have a lot in common except that ____________.
| A．they both have a divorced mom |
| B．they both have mixed heritage |
| C．they were both in the school baseball team |
| D．both of them have big league dreams |
The business executive was deep in debt and could see no way out. Creditors (债主) were closing in on him. Suppliers were demanding payment. He sat on the park bench, head in hands, wondering if anything could save his company from bankruptcy (破产).
Suddenly an old man appeared before him. “I can see that something is troubling you.” he said. After listening to the executive, the old man said: “I believe I can help you.”
He asked the man his name, wrote out a check, and pushed it into his hand saying: “Take this money. Meet me here exactly one year from today, and you can pay me back at that time.” Then he turned and disappeared as quickly as he had come.
The business executive saw in his hand a check for $500,000, signed by John D. Rockefeller, then one of the richest men in the world!
“I can settle all my debts in a moment!” he realized. But instead, the executive decided to put the uncashed check in his safe, just knowing it would give him the strength to work out a way to save his business.
With renewed optimism, he made better deals and extended terms of payment. He closed several big deals. Within a few months, he was out of debt and making money once again.
Exactly one year later, he returned to the park with the uncashed check. At the agreed-upon time, the old man appeared. But just as the executive was about to hand back the check and share his success story, a nurse came running up and grabbed the old man.
“I’m so glad I caught him!” she cried. “I hope he hasn’t been bothering you. He’s always escaping from the rest home and telling people he’s John D. Rockefeller.” And she led the old man away by the arm.What was the executive worried about?
| A．He couldn’t produce enough for the suppliers. |
| B．The creditors wouldn’t lend him any money. |
| C．His products didn’t sell well. |
| D．He might run into bankcruptcy. |
Which of the following statements about the old man is TRUE?
| A．The old man had known the executive was in trouble before he came. |
| B．The old man’s way of helping the executive worked out well. |
| C．The check he wrote was far from enough for the executive. |
| D．In fact the old man didn’t want to have his money back. |
The executive didn’t cash the check because ____________.
A. He was afraid that the bank didn’t have so much money.
B. The check gave him a lot of strength and encouragement.
C. He was uncertain if he could ever pay back the money.
D. He knew the old man wasn’t John D. Rockefeller at all.
.
Me More Than You
“It hurts me more than you.” and “This is for your own good.” These are the statements my mother used to make years ago when I had to learn Latin, clean my room, stay home and do homework.
That was before we entered the permissive period in education in which we decided it was all right not to push our children to achieve their best in school.
The schools and the educators made it easy on us. They taught that it was all right to be parents who took a let-alone policy. We stopped making our children do homework. We gave them calculators(计算器), turned on the television, left the teaching to the teachers and went on vacation.
Now teachers, faced with children who have been developing at their pace for the past 15 years, are realizing we’ve made a terrible mistake. One such teacher is Sharon Klompus who says of her students—“so passive”—and wonders what happened. Nothing was demanded of them, she believes. “Television”, says Klompus, “contributes to children’s passivity;” “We’re not training kids to work any more.” says Klompus. “We’re talking about a generation of kids who’ve never been hurt or hungry. They have learned somebody will always do it for them. Instead of saying ‘go look it up’, you tell them the answer. It takes greater energy to say ‘no’ to a kid.”
Yes, it does. It takes energy and it takes work. It’s time for parents to end their vacation and come back to work. It’s time to take the car away, to turn the TV off, and to tell them it hurts you more than them but it’s for their own good. It’s time to start telling them ‘no’ again.
68. We learn from the passage that the author’s mother used to place importance on _____.
A. discipline B. creativity C. school education D. homework
69. To today’s kids as described in this passage, _____.
A. it is easier to give a negative reply than to give a positive reply
B. it is easier to give a positive reply than to give a negative reply
C. neither is easy — to say yes or to say no
D. neither is hard — to say yes or to say no
70. The main idea of this passage is that _____.
A. parents should set a good example for their kids
B. kids should have more activities outside campus
C. educators should not be so kind to our children
D. it is time to be strict with our children