Etymology, the study of words and word roots, may sound like the kind of thing done by boring librarians in small, dusty rooms．Yet etymologists actually have a uniquely interesting job．They are in many ways just like archaeologists (考古学家) digging up the physical history of people and events．The special aspect of etymology is that it digs up history, so to speak, through the words and phrases that are left behind．
The English language, in particular, is a great field to explore history through words. As a language, English has an extraordinary number of words．This is partly due to its ability to adapt foreign words so readily．For example, "English" words such as kindergarten (from German), croissant (from French), and cheetah (from Hindi) have become part of the language with little or no change from their original sounds and spellings. So English-language etymologists have a vast world of words to explore．
Another enjoyable thing about etymology for most word experts is solving word mysteries(谜)．No, etymologists do not go around solving murders, like the great detective Sherlock Holmes．What these word experts solve are mysterious origins of some of our most common words
One of the biggest questions English language experts have pursued is how English came to have the phrase OK．Though it is one of the most commonly used expressions, its exact beginning is a puzzle even to this day．Even its spelling is not entirely consistent-unless you spell it Okay, it is hard even to call it a word．
Etymologists have been able to narrow OK’s origin down to a likely, although not certain, source(来源)．It became widely used around the time of Martin Van Buren's run for president in 1840. His nickname was Old Kinderhook. What troubles word experts about this explanation is that the phrase appeared in some newspapers before Van Buren became well known．It is likely that Van Buren could be called its primary source Etymologists will doubtlessly keep searching for the initial source．However, it is clear that OK’s popularity and reputation have topped those of the American president to whom it has been most clearly linked．The author mentions the words like "croissant" in Paragraph 2 to indicate________．
| A．words have changed a lot in the two languages |
| B．what English-language etymologists are exploring now |
| C．English has absorbed many words from other foreign languages |
| D．the English vocabulary is difficult to the non-English-speaking people |
The underlined word "pursued" in Paragraph 4 means___________．
| A．looked upon | B．dug up | C．put in | D．set down |
We can learn from the passage that etymologists_______．
| A．discover the possible origin of words |
| B．help detectives to solve mysterious murders |
| C．write interesting stories for some newspapers |
| D．explore the English language as well as the recent events |
What is the main purpose of the passage?
| A．To present the history of English words. |
| B．To explain the procedure of an etymologist's job. |
| C．To introduce the pleasure of the study of words and word roots． |
| D．To teach readers how to distinguish English and non-English words |
A 33-year-old financial analyst in California recently quit his job to devote himself to an unpaid job teaching math on the Internet, and his lessons are reaching almost 100,000 people a month. Salman Khan’s voice is heard every day on the net --- by tens of thousands of students around the world who are hungry for help learning math. He has posted 1,200 lessons on YouTube ... lessons that appear on an electronic blackboard, which range from basic addition to advanced mathematics for science and finance. And they are free.
Khan lives in Silicon Valley, with his wife, a doctor, and their new baby. He got the idea for his “Khan Academy” four years ago, when he taught a young cousin how to convert kilograms to grams. With Khan’s help, the cousin got good at math, and Khan began a new career.
Now, Khan records his lessons himself, but he never goes on camera. “It feels like my voice in their head. You’re looking at it and it feels like someone’s over your shoulder talking in your ear, as opposed to someone at the blackboard, which is distant from you,” he said.
When Springfield High School in Palo Alto, California invited Khan to speak in person --- he immediately connected to the students there.
The idea of short lessons that can be played over and over again attracted high school senior Bridget Meaney. She says she had trouble with math in the seventh grade. “I think the teachers are good, but they can’t teach at a speed that’s perfect for everyone,” she said. “I like the idea of learning something in class but then going back and pressing pause or rewind and actually getting a deeper understanding of it.”
Originally, Khan kept his lessons short because of YouTube restrictions. Now, he thinks short is better. “Education researchersnow tell me that 10 minutes is how long someone can have a high level of concentration. And anything beyond that and your brain switches off,” he said.
For Khan, teaching math, science, and finance is just the beginning. He says he’s ready to expand his YouTube site to include other subjects as well.What gave Khan the idea of teaching math online?
| A．His success in helping his cousin learn math. |
| B．His discovery that many students found learning math difficult. |
| C．A suggestion made to him at a local high school. |
| D．His interest in Internet teaching. |
Why does Khan never go on camera?
| A．He’s too shy to show his face on camera. |
| B．It’s restricted by YouTube for education videos. |
| C．He wants to keep distance from the viewers. |
| D．He wants to create a more relaxed learning atmosphere. |
From the passage, we know that ________.
| A．Khan travels to many schools to promote his lessons |
| B．Khan plans to include more subjects in the future |
| C．Khan gives live math lessons every day for free |
| D．Khan set up the Khan Academy with his wife |
Why does Bridget Meaney like Khan’s lessons?
| A．Khan teaches seventh grade math better than her teacher. |
| B．The lessons can be watched repeatedly until fully understood. |
| C．She can perfectly follow the pace of Khan’s teaching. |
| D．She cannot concentrate when learning in class. |
What does Khan mean by “short is better” in the 6th paragraph?
| A．Keeping the lessons short can ensure better concentration. |
| B．YouTube recommends short lessons for its site. |
| C．Short lessons encourage students to return to the website. |
| D．Students enjoy short mathematics lessons more. |
Heading off to college this year? Here are some fashion tips from our experts you should keep in mind:
Dress to impress: Stylist and business consultant Daniela Smith says, “Girls should keep in mind that your college professors will often be the bridge that connects you to your future career and your classmates will become your professional network. You don’t need to dress like you’re going to the office, but you should display an ability to properly present yourself with appropriate maturity and confidence, and look put together.”
Logo mania (品牌狂热症): Wearing the logos of brands aimed at younger customers physically identifies you as part of that age group, so consider the targeted age group of the stores you shop at. It’s tempting to load up on logos, especially well-known logos that signify high-end brands. But consider this: college is a time of self-discovery, a chance to develop your own personal style. Instead of wearing logos head to toe, “walking advertisement”-style, why not express who you really are?
Wear real pants! The combination of leggings and baggy shirts is all too common on college campuses. Smith points out that leggings, yoga pants, and sweatpants are entirely unacceptable in public unless you’re exercising. Although leggings worn as pants are a common trend among high school and college girls, they are not an appropriate choice for daywear. As a young woman, your style choice should begin to reflect your maturity level. So, get rid of leggings and wear real pants!
Keep the cute factor to a minimum: Stay away from sweaters and T-shirts with smiling animals, cartoon characters, or Hello Kitty on them. Sure, kittens might be cute, but they’re not doing you any favors in the style department. Dressing too cutesy can take years off your look, and not necessarily in a good way!The second paragraph indicates the importance of ________.
| A．impressing professors |
| B．getting on well with classmates |
| C．creating a professional image |
| D．dressing appropriately |
The author believes that college girls should ________.
| A．choose a logo that suits their age |
| B．try to load up on well-known logos |
| C．use logos to show who they are |
| D．find their identity by trying different logos |
The author recommends wearing real pants because ________.
| A．leggings and baggy shirts are too common |
| B．yoga pants and sweatpants are not as comfortable |
| C．real pants can present you with appropriate maturity |
| D．people like real pants better than the other pants |
What’s the writer’s attitude towards sweaters with animals on them?
| A．They make people look lovely. |
| B．They are very fashionable these days. |
| C．They will show you’re an animal lover. |
| D．They are not suitable for college-aged students. |
In which magazine would you most likely find this passage?
Business Week. B. Parents. C. In style. D. Travel & Leisure.
Bob was a clever college student, but his family was poor, so he had to work after class and during his holidays to get enough money for his studies.
One summer he got a job in a butcher’s shop during the day time, and another in a hospital at night. In the shop, he learned to cut and sell meat. He did so well that the butcher went into a room behind the shop to do all the accounts. In the hospital, of course, Bob was told to do only the easiest jobs. He helped to lift people and carry them from one part of the hospital to another. Both in the butcher’s shop and in the hospital, Bob had to wear white clothes.
One evening in the hospital, Bob had to help to carry a woman from her bed to the operating - room. The woman already felt frightened when she thought about the operation. When she saw Bob coming to get her, she felt even more frightened.
"No! No!" she cried. "Not a butcher! I won’t let a butcher operate on me!" with these words ,she fainted away.根据第一段Bob was a clever college student, but his family was poor, so he had to work after class and during his holidays to get enough money for his studies.描述,可知选C.
根据第二段One summer he got a job in a butcher’s shop during the day time, and another in a hospital at night.描述,可知选B.
根据In the hospital, of course, Bob was told to do only the easiest jobs. He helped to lift people and carry them from one part of the hospital to another. 描述,可知选D.
Bob had to work after class and during his holidays because_________.
| A．his father told him to make more friends |
| B．he wanted to become a rich man |
| C．he couldn’t go on with his studies without enough money |
| D．he had nothing to do at home. |
One summer Bob_________.
| A．wanted to become not only a butcher but also a doctor. |
| B．got two different jobs at two places |
| C．was free only at night |
| D．worked only during the daytime |
In the hospital, Bob’s job was_________.
| A．to take care of the wounded soldiers |
| B．to give the doctor’s advice |
| C．to find out what was wrong with the sick people |
| D．to carry the sick people from one place to another |
In this century the traditional American family is constantly faced with the threat of breakdown. Some sociologists suggest that one little – noticed cause may be the introduction of the TV dinner.
Before the appearance of television seats, the American dinner was a big event for the family. In many homes dinner time may be the only time when everyone got together. A typical dinner was usually in three stages. In the preparation stage, the children and Father frequently helped with setting while Mother put the last touches on the roast. In the eating stage, family members shared the day’s experiences and more than food was consumed. In this stage families got to know one another and made joint decisions around the dinner table, and thus the family solidarity（团结） was strengthened. In the cleaning – up stage, children or Father again gave their hands, so that their significance to the home community was clear. Unfortunately, all of these have been erased by a product—the television set.
By the beginning of the 1980s, the typical American family dinner was just twenty minutes long. The speed – up of this once – leisurely experiences is clearly connected to the overall pace of modern life and maybe a model of the modern life is the TV dinners—meals designed to be consumed between the opening and closing credits of a half – hour program. The once family affair has now become nothing more than the use of a fork and knife.According to the passage, the American family is now threatened by .
| A．poverty | B．having few children | C．poor living conditions | D．separation |
In the past, Americans tended to .
| A．spend more time eating their food at dinner table |
| B．eat more food than they have today |
| C．spend more time talking about their day’s experience at dinner table |
| D．talk so much that they forgot to eat |
The shortening of the dinner time in America is related to .
| A．the TV programs | B．the pace of modern life |
| C．the wide use of household appliances | D．the popularity of fast food |
The best title for this passage might be .
| A．Talk At Dinner Table | B．TV Dinner |
| C．Pace Of Modern Life | D．Problems Caused By TV |
My wife and I spent two weeks in London last year. We went there in the autumn. We think it is the best season to visit England. The weather is usually good and there aren’t too many tourists in October.
We stayed in a small hotel in the West End. It was convenient as we did most of our sightseeing on foot. Taxis were too expensive, we couldn’t understand the bus routes, and my wife didn’t like traveling under the ground. She said it made her feel sick.
We went to look at the places which all tourists visit. We saw Buckingham Palace and the National Gallery. We went shopping in Oxford Street and spent too much money. What we liked most, though, was going to the theatre. We didn’t have the chance to see such wonderful plays at home. A lot of people say English food is bad. We didn’t think so. It is true that most of the restaurants are French or Italian or Chinese, but we had some very good meals.
In fact, we enjoyed our holiday so much that we have already booked again for this year. We are going to take our umbrellas, though. I’m sure we’ll need them sometimes.The couple chose a small hotel in the West End to stay in because _________.
| A．taxis were too expensive | B．they could go sightseeing on foot |
| C．the underground made the wife feel sick | D．all the above |
The couple had some difficulty in ________.
| A．booking in the hotel | B．finding the bus routes |
| C．going sightseeing on foot | D．having meals |
Generally speaking, the couple _________the trip to London.
| A．were satisfied with | B．disliked |
| C．were a bit unhappy about | D．regretted |
Which of the following is NOT true about the couple?
| A．They thought English food was bad. |
| B．They will visit London again. |
| C．They visited London last October. |
| D．They didn’t take their umbrella last year. |