Towards the end of Middle English, a sudden change in pronunciation started, with vowels (元音) being pronounced shorter and shorter. From the 16th century the British had contact (接触) with many people from around the world. This meant that lots of new vocabulary entered the language. The invention of printing also meant that there was now a common language in print. Books became cheaper and more people learned to read. Spelling and grammar became fixed, and the dialect of London became the standard. In 1604 the first English dictionary came out.
Early Modern English and Late Modern English are mostly different in the number of words. Late Modern English has many more words, mainly because of the following two reasons: First, the Industrial Revolution (工业革命) led to the need for new words. Second, the British Empire covered one quarter of the earth’s surface, and the English language took in foreign words from many countries.
From around 1600, the English colonization (殖民地化) of North America led to American English. Some English pronunciations and words “froze” when they reached America. In some ways, American English is more like the English of Shakespeare than modern British English. Some expressions that are called “American English” are in fact from British expressions. They were kept in the colonies while lost for a time in Britain. Spanish also had an influence (影响) on American English. For example, words like canyon, ranch, stampede and vigilante are from Spanish. They entered English by the people of Spain who settled in the American West. French words and West African words also influenced American English.
Today, American English has a greater influence, because of the USA’s movies, television, popular music, trade and technology.The main difference between Early and Late Modern English lies in _____.
| A．vocabulary | B．pronunciation |
| C．spelling | D．grammar |
What helped to increase the vocabulary of Late Modern English?
a. the invention of printing
b. the Industrial Revolution
c. the colonization
d. the contact with other countries
| A．a, b, c | B．a, c, d |
| C．a, b, d | D．b, c, d |
From the passage, we can learn the word “canyon” is from _____.
| A．American dialect | B．African dialect |
| C．Spanish | D．French |
The third paragraph mainly talks about _____.
| A．English colonies in North America |
| B．the development of American English |
| C．other languages’ influence on American English |
| D．the difference between American English and British English |
Recently, some concerns have been raised about the health of the world's banana plants. Many media reports have said that bananas may completely disappear in the coming ten years.
Bananas are one of the world's most important food crops. They are also the fourth most valuable export. Bananas do not grow from seeds. Instead, they grow from existing plants. Bananas are threatened by disease because all the plants on a farm are copies of each other. They all share the same genetic weaknesses.
For example, the Cavendish banana is most popular in American markets. It is an important export crop. However, some kinds of fungus (真菌) organisms easily infect the Cavendish. Black Sigatoka disease affects the leaves of Cavendish banana plants. The disease is controlled on large farms by putting chemicals on the plant's leaves. Farmers put anti-fungal chemicals on their crops up to once a week.
Another fungal disease is more serious. Panama disease attacks the roots of the banana plant. There is no chemical treatment for this disease. Infected plants must be destroyed. Panama disease has affected crops in Southeast Asia, Australia and South Africa. There is concern that it may spread to bananas grown in the Americas. This could threaten an important export product for Central and South America.
The International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain, whose headquarter lies in France, supports research on bananas. The group says that more research must be done to develop improved kinds of bananas.
The group says that fungal diseases mainly affect only one kind of banana. In fact, there are five-hundred different kinds of bananas. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization says the Cavendish banana represents only ten percent of world production.
The UN agency says farmers should grow different kinds of bananas. This protects against diseases that affect only one kind. Experts warn that disease may cause the Cavendish banana to disappear. This has already happened to one popular banana because of its genetic weakness against disease. (words: 335) What does the passage mainly tell us?
| A．Bananas are the world’s most important food crops. |
| B．There are five hundred different kinds of bananas. |
| C．The risk to a popular banana shows need to grow other kinds. |
| D．How to grow bananas in different countries. |
Bananas are threatened by diseases because __________.
| A．they have genetic weaknesses against disease. |
| B．they are one of the most valuable exports. |
| C．the only way to prevent it is to put chemicals on their leaves. |
| D．they grow from the seed |
Panama disease__________.
| A．doesn’t belong to fungal disease. |
| B．has spread to bananas in the world. |
| C．affects the leaves of banana plants. |
| D．destroys the bananas more seriously than Black Sigatoka disease. |
We can infer from Paragraph 6 that ____________.
| A．the center of the group is in the US. |
| B．the key to solving the disease is to research all kinds of bananas. |
| C．the Cavendish banana covers only a small part of the output of bananas. |
| D．each fungal disease affects five hundred different kinds of bananas. |
According to the passage, which information is right?
| A．The Cavendish banana can be mainly imported from North America and Europe. |
| B．Fungal diseases mainly affect the Cavendish banana. |
| C．The Cavendish banana won’t die out in the future. |
| D．Panama disease affects the leaves of banana plants. |
The China Daily newspaper group is looking for English-language senior business editors, senior copy editors, copy editors and graphic designers to strengthen its international team. We offer a competitive salary package, accommodation with utilities paid for 90 percent, medical reimbursement, a seven-day paid leave, eleven-day public holidays and a return ticket to the country of residence.
Senior Business Editor
You must:
(1) Assist the business editor in setting goals and working on achieving them；
(2) Be an excellent team person who can generate ideas and think creatively and be able to rewrite totally if needed and mentor junior staff;
(3)Ideally have been working or have worked in a position of responsibility and understand what leadership entails；
(4) Have had at least five years’ editing experience working on editing the Business Desk and be familiar with industry software.
Senior Copy Editor
You must：
(1) Work on shifts in the Business Desk and usually have the last word before the page is sent to print；
(2) Edit or rewrite copy and give snappy headlines and captions；
(3) Have had at least two years’ editing experience working on editing desks and be familiar with industry software.
Copy Editor
You must：
(1) Be good at editing or rewriting copy and writing snappy headlines and captions；
(2) Be able to work on shifts for different pages, and usually have the last word before the page is sent to print；
(3) Have two years of editing experience working on copy desks, and be familiar with industry software.
Graphic Designer
You must:
(1) Have excellent skills in information graphics;(2) Be good at illustrations and freehand drawings;
(3) Be experienced in newspaper or magazine layouts
(4) Have a good sense of typography(活版印刷术).
(5) Have good new judgment;
(6)Be fluent in English.
For enquiries or to apply, write to job @ chinadaily.com.cn. (words:327)What is the purpose of this passage?
| A．To describe the positions of the China Daily newspaper group. |
| B．To describe the working conditions of the China Daily newspaper group. |
| C．To advertise for recruiting some good employees. |
| D．To tell you how to become part of this group. |
What is not required about Graphic Designer?
| A．Be well-versed in Photoshop. |
| B．Have excellent skills in information graphics. |
| C．Having a good sense of typography. |
| D．Writing snappy headlines and captions. |
How many positions need editing experience?
| A．Two | B．One | C．Three | D．Four |
Which can be the best title of the passage?
| A． China Daily：New Employees Wanted |
| B．China Daily：Newspaper |
| C．China Daily：An International Team |
| D． China Daily：The Best Working Condition |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Free accommodations are available to the workers. |
| B．The workers there can enjoy a seven-day leave without pay. |
| C．The employees have the right to enjoy eleven-day public holidays. |
| D．The senior business editor’s only job is to help the business editor to set goals. |
With his game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer, Jeremy Lin (林书豪) finished the New York Knicks' dramatic reversed victory to defeat the Toronto Rapters.
The Knicks have won six games in a row, and Jeremy Lin has put up impressive numbers during the continuous period of competitions. Although the season is still young, the Knicks have reversed course in just one week from the NBA's most disappointing team to a playoff (季后赛) contestant. Lin, not team's high-paid stars, has saved the Knicks season and likely coach D'Antoni's job.
After nearly 15 years of disappointing, sometimes unsuccessful seasons, Madison Square Garden is alive again, and New York City can't stop talking about the Knicks. To put things into perspective, consider this: Just several years back, Knicks fans protested nightly outside of the Garden calling for the team's ownership to fire their resented coach Isiah Thomas.
Now, Madison Square Garden Co. shares are at a record high, the Knicks' average household television rating is up 70 percent since Lin joined the starting lineup (首发阵容), and jersey sales are increasing very quickly. I watched the Knicks-Lakers game at a bar in Harlem, and have not felt that kind of energy from fans since the great playoff between the Knicks and Miami Heat in the late 1990s.
Beyond the Knicks, Lin may be saving the NBA as well. Just a few months back, the NBA took a massive credibility hit during a multi-month lockout, where the owners did not allow the players to go back to play until they accept the new salary levels. As a consequence, the season did not even begin until Christmas Day. Over the past few years, LeBron James' (勒布朗﹒詹姆斯) relatively long and unpleasant free-agent (自由职业球员) events, combined with poor play around the league, have angered fans and damaged the league's brand.
Lin is leading a one-week NBA basketball revival. His legendary story has inspired Asian-Americans, increased NBA sales in China, and turned the basketball world upside down.
(words:348)According to the passage, Jeremy Lin's excellent performance saved the following except___
| A．The NBA | B．Coach Isiah Thomas |
| C．The Knicks | D．Madison Square Garden Co.’s shares |
The underlined word “young” in Paragraph 2 probably means "______"
| A．not old yet. | B．not completely grown. | C．in the development | D．in the early stage |
The NBA suffered the credibility crisis months ago because____
| A．The NBA delayed the season because of players’ wage disagreements |
| B．the NBA was disappointed at James’ free-agent event. |
| C．The NBA canceled the basketball match for the coming Christmas |
| D．James had a bad performance in the basketball court |
Which one of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．These Knicks’ stars who were paid well saved the Knicks season |
| B．The Knicks didn’t satisfy its fans for nearly 15 years until this season |
| C．The fans objected to dismissing Coach Isiah Thomas outside the Garden |
| D．The owners and the players didn’t agree on raising the TV ratings |
The passage is mainly about______
| A．why the New Yorkers thought well of Jeremy Lin |
| B．why Jeremy Lin became a member of the Knicks |
| C．how the Knicks defeated its opponents in a great playoff |
| D．how Jeremy Lin saved the Knicks, probably including the NBA |
Mo Yan's Nobel Prize in Literature soon aroused public curiosity of the 57-year-old Chinese writer: Why was it he that was favored by the Swedish Academy? Chinese media seemed to be 36 as some journalists were reported to be on their way overnight to Gaomi City, Shandong, Mo's 37 where he stayed with his family.
Born in 1955 into a rural family, Mo 38 out of school and became a farmer when he was a(n) 39. He joined the military and devoted himself to 40 after Chinese literary circles started rethinking deeply the Cultural Revolution.
Mo's novel "Big Breasts & Wide Hips" tells a story of a mother who struggled and suffered 41 and tangled (缠结的) fates with Chinese people in the 20th century. His more recent work "Frog" more directly 42 China's one-child family policy, which helped 43 the country's population explosion 44 brought tragedies to farmers in the past 60 years.
"I think the reason why I could win the 45 is that my works present lives with unique Chinese 46 , and they also tell stories from a viewpoint of 47 human beings, which goes beyond differences of nations and races," Mo said to Chinese journalists. Mo also said many 48 arts originated from his hometown, such as clay sculpture, paper cuts, traditional new-year paintings, have 49 and influenced his novels.
Mo's prize may give powerful encouragement to the country's writers as the more 50 of Chinese lives their works are, the more possible they 51 as a world literature.
As the world's fast-developing country with a long history, China will 52 meet conflicts with western civilizations.__53_, the country faces internally a wide gap between the rich and the poor, 54 environment pollution and an aging population. Paying more attention to such 55 , Chinese writers may create more works that record the nation's journey to rejuvenation(复兴).With more Chinese writers like Mo, the world could learn a more real China. Perhaps, this is another reason for the Swedish Academy's choice. (words:338)
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Some novels simply entertain and others contain a powerful message in the story line and characters. In his first novel, A Wind In Montana, Mitch Davies tells a story about young adults and how they accept responsibility for their lives.
A Wind In Montana is a marvelous tale of two teenagers, Rory Coleman and Victoria Beach, high school students at the same school, who struggle to make the right decision for themselves. As each of them nears adulthood, they become more concerned with the future and setting goals that will bring them happiness and fulfillment.
Without any advice from his parents, Rory chooses to pursue a profession in chemistry, applies for a chemistry scholarship, and determines to do everything he can to achieve it. Along the path, Rory finds that even though he has a plan, there are obstacles that could prevent him from realizing his goals. Victoria’s struggles are different from Rory’s. Although her father has decided that she should become a professional musician, Victoria has other plans for her life. Together, Rory and Victoria attempt to follow their dreams, despite the obstacles in their paths. A Wind In Montana contains a lesson for all teens about to enter adulthood － that disappointment and setbacks (挫折) are going to occur no matter how determined they are and that they need to develop skills along the way that will help them deal with them effectively.
There are so many major decisions facing teens today －social, parents, other influencing adults and school work － and there’s no guarantee that their plans will succeed, even if they make the so-called “right” decisions. A Wind In Montana explores how two teenagers struggle with their own unique decisions and how the choices they make affect their lives.
Mitch Davies’ book stands out among today’s teen books that deal with imaginary situations. A Wind In Montana is a real story about real people facing real-life situations. It’s entertaining and also helps readers think about their own lives and offers various ways to handle situations that may arise.According to the passage, both Rory and Victoria _____.
| A．have a strong sense of self | B．work hard at their courses |
| C．go against their parents | D．get along well with others |
The third paragraph is mainly about _____.
| A．the value of A Wind In Montana |
| B．Mitch Davies’ achievements |
| C．Mitch Davies’ writing style |
| D．the content of A Wind In Montana |
Unlike other teen books, A Wind In Montana ______.
| A．involves some imaginary situations |
| B．is based on real-life experiences |
| C．focuses on responsibilities teens should take |
| D．discusses the future of young adults |
What’s the purpose of the passage?
| A．To speak highly of an author. | B．To report a piece of news. |
| C．To review a book | D．To collect materials for a book. |