The saying “a penny for your thoughts” is an English idiom simply asking people to volunteer their opinions on an issue being discussed. In modern usage, it is often stated as an indirect way of asking what someone is thinking about.
This phrase is basically a proposal (提议), and the speaker is offering to pay to hear the listener’s thoughts. It is an idiom, of course, and not meant literally (字面上的) so no real payment generally takes place.
When the saying originated, a penny was worth a lot more than it is in the 21st century. Therefore, “a penny for your thoughts” likely indicated the thoughts were more valuable to those asking the listener for them than they are by today’s standards. This loss of value can be used ironically(讽刺地), however, through tone(语气) of voice; it can be used to indicate that someone’s idea is bad or worth a penny in modern value.
The phrase is generally credited to a man by the name of John Heywood, who was born sometime just before the 16th century. During his life, he was a writer who penned many plays and a book in 1546, later known as The Proverbs of John Heywood. It is likely Heywood did not actually come up with the phrase “a penny for your thoughts”. Rather, he was simply the first person to have set the phrase down in written form. The actual origins of the term are unknown, and since his book was simply a collection of common idioms and expressions, it was probably familiar to people in the mid 1500s.
Another phrase similar to “a penny for your thoughts” is offering “your two cents” after making a statement. Someone might give his or her opinion and then say, “that’s my two cents,” to indicate the value of his or her idea. While, much like a penny, “two cents” is relatively low in value now, it would have been more valuable at one time and the expression is used in much the same way.
When someone says “a penny for your thoughts”, he or she ___________.
| A．wants to ask you for advice |
| B．considers your thoughts unique |
| C．is curious about what’s on your mind |
| D．will pay for what you’re thinking about |
The modern meaning of “a penny for your thoughts” ____________.
| A．is more closely connected to the value of the penny |
| B．can differ greatly according to a speaker’s manner |
| C．can confuse the listener easily |
| D．is more popularly accepted |
In what way is Heywood related to the phrase “a penny for your thoughts”?
| A．He came up with it while he was writing. |
| B．He helps to explain the origins of it. |
| C．He contributed to the wide use of it. |
| D．He was the first person to use it. |
What do we know about the phrase “your two cents”?
| A．It is usually used at the end of a statement. |
| B．It comes from “a penny for your thoughts”. |
| C．It has witnessed some changes since the 16th century. |
| D．It is more familiar to people than “a penny for your thoughts”. |
Kids Wall Art
Large wall posters for kids. Your kids will love these cool posters by artist Carla Daly. Your kids will enjoy decorating their bedroom walls with these posters and their friends will think they are the coolest!
| Name: ABC Wall Art Size: 44×72cm (17.5″×28″) Time: 9:00 am every day Prices: $ 6.8/piece Colorful ABC art for your kids’ bedroom and playroom. A fun, educational art piece that all kids will enjoy. Kids and babies will love learning their animals and the ABC at the same time! |
| Name: Kids World Map Size: 45×75cm (17.5″×29.5″) Time: 2:00 pm on Wednesday Prices: $ 7.2/piece A colorful, large print by artist Carla Daly. Your kids will love this world map showing the lands, oceans and the fun animals that live in them. An educational map that will keep your kids happy for hours! |
| Name: Skateboard Park Size: 44×60cm (17.5″×23.5″) Time: 9:00 am on weekends Prices: $ 8.8/piece Fun zebra children’s wall art! Children and kids will love these fun animals enjoying this popular kids’ sport. Boys and girls will enjoy decorating their bedroom walls with this colorful bedroom wall art. |
| Name: City Slickers(城市佬) Size: 44×55cm(17.5″×23.5″) Time: 2:00 pm every day except Friday Prices: $ 6.5/piece Cute kids wall art of two cool giraffes taking a drive through the city, unusual, fun style for kids’ walls! Your kids will love this fun giraffe wall art. Boys and girls will have fun decorating their bedroom walls with this colorful bedroom wall art. |
Jane, who would like to buy a poster with the size of 45×75cm, will probably buy ________.
| A．ABC Wall Art | B．Kids World Map |
| C．Skateboard Park | D．City Slickers |
David plans to buy two posters. He should at least take ________ with him.
| A．$ 15.3. | B．$ 14. | C．$ 12. | D．$ 13.3. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Kids can find two cool giraffes on Skateboard Park. |
| B．Kids can just learn some English letters on ABC Wall Art. |
| C．Kids can enjoy fun zebra children’s wall art on City Slickers. |
| D．Kids can get some geography knowledge on Kids World Map. |
I’m a TV show host.One Sunday, I took my7-year-old daughter by the sea for lunch. On arriving at the beach, I saw JoJo, a wealthy man in the hotel business.We sat down to chat in an open air cafe while I watched my daughter enjoy herself on the swings in front of us.Our conversation varied from business to entertainment to the economy.
Suddenly our conversation was interrupted by a stranger, who politely asked permission to speak to me.Often people want to tell me something about my controversial TV show,whenI’m out on the streets.
He asked to speak to me privately, so we stood a bit away from my table.He said, “I’m James, 35 years old, father of a 7-year-old girl, who’s very sick. She needs treatment abroad.The doctors said that if she was treated in the UK, she would probably survive.But I’m poor, so can you please help me?”
Speechless, I stared in the man’s eyes full of tears and asked how I could help.After we talked for a while, I went to sit back at the table. JoJo asked me, “What’s wrong with you?Your
face changed.”I told him and he was very sorry for this family and said I had the means through the media to help him. Later we headed off to our destinations(目的地).
All weekend I thought about James, his daughter and his family.I even considered doing a special TV show to raise money for this sick child.
On Monday morning I was at the office after I finished presenting my show,when my secretary said a man needed to speak to me. It was JoJo. He walked into my office.Actually JoJo is so busy with his hotel business that I never imagined he had time to come and see me at the studios.
“Please, call the man with the sick child and tell him that I’ll pay all expenses for his sick daughter’s treatment.”JoJo said, with a check in his hand.“I’ve been married for 35 years. I wasn’t lucky enough to have a child. I want to help this child now.”I picked up the phone to call James.
Now James’ daughter is well and living a normal life, so James and his wife are the happiest couple on earth. JoJo often visits her. I’m so happy that there are so many good people on this earth.The writer went to the beach to ______________.
| A．meet JoJo on purpose |
| B．make a TV show. |
| C．have lunch with his daughter |
| D．help James. |
James asked to speak privately to the writer rather than JoJo probably because __________.
| A．He didn’t know that JoJo was wealthy. |
| B．He thought a TV show host could help him through the media. |
| C．He believed that rich people were seldom willing to help others. |
| D．He knew that the writer was a warm-hearted TV show host. |
The writer was ________ when he heard that JoJo came to his office to see him.
| A．excited | B．disappointed |
| C．surprised | D．annoyed |
Which is True according to the story?
| A．The writer was cold-hearted and refused to give help. |
| B．It was very impolite of James to ask the writer for help. |
| C．Both James and the writer were bad-tempered.. |
| D．JoJo was full of love and was willing to help the James. |
Frank Lloyd Wright is often called the father of American modern architecture．He designed buildings and homes across the United States for more than 70 years．He created most of his works from 1900 through the 1950s，but his open-living spaces and imaginative designs still appear very modern today．
Last week，the United States nominated(提名)10 of his buildings for the UN Educational，Scientific，and Cultural Organization—or UNESCO—the World Heritage List．The World Heritage List recognizes the most，important cultural and natural sites worldwide．
The 10 buildings，titled．“Key Works of Modern Architecture by Frank Lloyd Wright，”were built between 1906 and 1969．They include several of his personal homes and studios，churches，government buildings，private residences，and one very famous museum—New York City’s Guggenheim Museum．
The Solomon R．Guggenheim Museum is one of the most visited sites in New York City．About one million people visit it every year．Frank Lloyd Wright worked on it from 1943 to 1959．It was designed to create a new type of space for new types of art．The museum remains an international symbol of modern architecture that represents Wright’s unique design．
Many of Mr．Wright’s modern buildings and homes in the U．S．Midwest have also become symbols of modern American architecture．Richard Longstreth is the president of the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy．He calls Mr．Wrisht“the father of modern architecture，fundamentally redefining the nature of form and space during the early 20th century that would have enduring impacts of modern architecture worldwide．”
The UNESCO World Heritage Committee will announce its decision in mid-2016．If Frank Lloyd Wright’s 10 buildings were chosen for the list，they would be the first World Heritage listings for modem U．S．architecture．The World Heritage List already includes 22 other American sites，including the Grand Canyon，Yellowstone National Park and the Statue of Liberty．We can learn from the passage that_____．
| A．Mr．Wright’s designs are out of style today |
| B．Mr．Wright’s designs have been widely recognized |
| C．Mr．Wright’s designs on modern buildings and homes are a failure |
| D．Mr．Wright is the owner of ten buildings |
Which of the following statements about Guggenheim Museum is true?
| A．It is a masterpiece showing Mr．Wright’s unique design. |
| B．It is a good example of traditional design． |
| C．It is the most famous site in New York City. |
| D．It is the symbol of New York City． |
In which section of the newspaper can you probably find this article?
| A．News | B．Science | C．Biography | D．Economy |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．Frank Lloyd Wright—the Father of American Modern Architecture |
| B．The World Heritage List—Cultural Collection Worldwide |
| C．Guggenheim Museum—International Symbol of modern Architecture |
| D．Frank Lloyd Wright’Buildings—On the way to World Heritage List |
Clive Roberts．a director at ELS Educational Services，says English tests are changing greatly in response to the global growth in the use of English as a lingua franca—the common language used among people with I different native languages．For that reason，a lot of new tests are being developed while old tests are being improved to meet the needs of universities and employers worldwide.
Changes in language testing
“A lot of tests are now delivered online，all four skills are being tested，in some cases，by computer，in particular speaking and writing skills，which are the most difficult to assess on a computer environment，”says Mr.Roberts.
Computer testing will reduce the length of time required for testing，because the tests adjust to the test-taker’s ability．These computer-adaptive tests also increase accuracy in scoring．Computer-a- daptive tests change depending on the test-taker’s responses．They can become more or less difficult during the testing session．For this reason，the set of correct answers will be different for each test-taker．
Cultural sensitivity
Another change to language testing relates to cultural sensitivity．The term refers to material on a test that is based on a certain culture or is hard for test-takers from different cultures to understand．
Mr．Roberts says test development companies are now hiring people with intercultural communication backgrounds to review test items．The companies want to make sure the test does not upset test-takers．
Proficiency(精通程度)in language
Changes to English proficiency tests make them better at measuring the learners’ability．However，Mr．Roberts says the changes may mean the tests are more difficult for some students．
“The tests have become more proficiency-oriented．The items are being designed in such a way that they test real-world proficiency and not simply sort of an artificial environment or a specific set of skills that are taught in a classroom．So a lot of authentic texts，a lot of authentic listening passages are being used．”
The changes mean students have to be able to understand English the way it is used in everyday life，not just in textbooks．Which of the following can best replace the underlined words“a lingua franca”in Paragraph l?
| A．a universal language | B．a second language |
| C．a native language | D．a mother tongue |
Which of the following is true about online English tests?
| A．Listening is more difficult to be tested online than speaking． |
| B．Online English tests need more time． |
| C．Online English tests make scoring more accurate． |
| D．Online English tests are more difficult． |
Why is proficiency stressed in language testing?
| A．To make the test more difficult． |
| B．To get learners to learn textbooks well． |
| C．To test learners’speaking ability． |
| D．To test learners’real ability to use the language． |
which words can best describe the new English tests?
| A．More accurate but easier． |
| B．Less practical but harder． |
| C．Better but harder． |
| D．Less popular but easier． |
Guide dogs help blind people who cannot get around by themselves．Although Yorkshire terriers and poodles are good companion dogs，guide dogs ale chosen from lager breeds(品种)such as German shepherds，golden retrievers，and Labrador retrievers．The young dogs are raised by families until they are eighteen months old．During this time，they get lots of love and attention，but they are also taught to obey．Then the dogs go to a special school where，for four months，they work with a sighted trainer，an individual who can see．The dog forms a close relationship with this person who teaches it how to follow directions such as right，left，straight ahead，and stop．The young dos also learns to watch out for dangerous traffic and wait until it is safe to cross a busy street.
When the dog is two years old，it starts training with the blind person it will live with. The dog and its new owner make many trips from downtown to where the blind person lives so the dog becomes familiar with the normal atmosphere．During the training，a sighted trainer always remains with them. A blind person who is getting a guide dog for the first time will train for about a month. If the individual has had a dog before，the training takes about three weeks．After the training，the blind person depends on the guide dog for between seven and twelve years．At that point，the working dog become a family pet and the owner needs to train with a younger guide dog．Which breed would NOT be trained as a guide dog?
| A．A Yorkshire terrier． | B．A golden retriever. |
| C．A German shepherd． | D．A Labrador． |
What does the guide dog learn to do during the training?
| A．Associate directions with food. |
| B．Play with young children． |
| C．Stay away from busy streets． |
| D．Look out for traffic problems． |
Who gives the dogs training at the special school?
| A．A sighted trainer. | B．Other blind people. |
| C．A traffic peliceman． | D．The school director． |
What’s this passage mainly about?
| A．The time spent training a guide dog． |
| B．The importance of having a guide dog． |
| C．The process of training a guide dog. |
| D．The way of choosing a guide dog. |