Are you learning English and do you need help with grammar? Do you want to learn new vocabulary or slang (俚语)? Well, you can find help online with these top 5 free English as a Second Language websites.
1. Dave’s ESL Cafe
This is a complete website that can help you learn and practice English. You can read many stories and do a lot of exercises to test yourself. You can also post questions and answers onto the help center.
2. About.com
You can get free English courses from About.com and you’ll get regular e-mails that will help you learn English.
3. The Classroom by Voice of America
You can watch videos and listen to news stories to improve your listening and vocabulary skills. You can also hear English words and their meanings.
4. Heinle’s Newbury House Dictionary of American English
Do you need to find the definition of a word? Use this online dictionary to find simple and clear definitions, as well as example sentences and idioms (习语). You can also find different cultural facts.
5. Personal English Portal (门户网站) on YouTube
You can watch this series of videos on YouTube to develop your listening skills. You can also do a search for “learn English” on YouTube to find other videos. This is a good way to practice English and have fun.
You can at the help center on the website Dave’s ESL Cafe.
| A．watch videos and pictures |
| B．listen to news and music |
| C．watch movies and matches |
| D．read questions and answers |
About.com often sends e-mails to its visitors to help them .
| A．get relaxed | B．have fun |
| C．become famous | D．learn English |
The underlined word “definition” means “ ” in Chinese.
| A．来源 | B．释义 |
| C．意图 | D．背景 |
阅读填空阅读下面短文，然后根据短文内容补充全文后表格中所缺失的信息。答案直接填在表中题号后的横线上。
Different countries have different manners. Before coming into a house in some Asian countries, it is good manners to take off your shoes. In European countries, even though shoes sometimes become very muddy(多泥的),this is not the case. A guest in a Chinese house never finishes a drink. In Malay house, too, a guest always leaves a little food .In England, a guest always finishes a drink to show that he has enjoyed it .Here are some examples of the things that a well-mannered person does not do.
He never laughs at people when they are in trouble. Instead he tries to help them .He is always kind both to people and animals. When people are waiting for a bus, he takes his turn. He does not push to the front of the queue. On the bus, he gives his seat to an old person or a lady who is standing next to him . If he accidentally knows into someone, or gets in their way ,he says "I'm sorry". He says "Please" "Excuse me" when he makes a request and "Thank you" when he receives something. He stands up when he speaks to a lady or an old person, and he does not sit down until the other people are seated.
| Countries and a well mannered person does |
Manners |
| In some Asian countries before coming into a house In In In England, A well-mannered person says “Thank you” |
It is good to You needn’t take off your shoes. a guest always leaves a little food a guest always finishes a drink to When |
Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. was the first African-American player to take part in the international sport of tennis at the highest level of the game. He was born on July 10, 1943.
When Arthur was 6, his mother died. Arthur, with his father and his brother, lived near a large park in Richmond, Virginia. His father was the manager of the park. He took care of the park and made sure everything was right.
Arthur was allowed to play in the park when he was seven years old. He was quite energetic. A swimming pool, tennis courts, and baseball diamonds (棒球场) were in the park. Arthur spent a lot of time playing there. He did well in sports, but he had never tried to play tennis.
He often watched the tennis players. Sometimes there were tennis lessons, and Arthur would watch even more carefully. The young man teaching the lessons noticed Arthur. His name was Ronald Charity.
Mr Charity asked Arthur if he wanted to learn to play tennis. Arthur was excited and agreed. Arthur learned very quickly. Mr Charity found Arthur would grow up to be a good tennis player. By the time he was ten, Arthur won a tournament (联赛). Many older and bigger players came to the park trying to win the prize, but Arthur beat them. He became known as “the kid who could play tennis”.
Arthur grew up to be one of the first successful African-American tennis players. He played and won all over the world.Which question is answered in Paragraph 2?
| A．Where did Arthur grow up? |
| B．Why did Arthur like tennis best? |
| C．When was Arthur born? |
| D．What did Arthur like to do at school? |
The park offered people all of these EXCEPT ____.
| A．tennis | B．football | C．baseball | D．swimming |
How did Arthur meet Mr Charity?
| A．Arthur’s father asked Mr Charity to give Arthur tennis lessons. |
| B．While swimming at the pool, Mr Charity met Arthur. |
| C．While teaching tennis, Mr Charity saw young Arthur. |
| D．Mr Charity noticed young Arthur was playing tennis well. |
What did Arthur do for the first time at the age of ten?
A. He entered the park where his father worked.
B. He copied tennis movements without holding a racket.
D. He played tennis better than players who were older than he was.This article is a(n) ____.
| A．biography (传记) | B．diary |
| C．advertisement | D．piece of news |
That Will Teach You, Bear!
One beautiful day, Bear was out hunting. As he walked past a fallen tree, he heard a small voiceshout, “Watch your feet!”
Bear looked down and saw Cricket (蟋蟀). “You almost destroyed my house,” Cricket said.
“I’ll walk wherever I want to,” Bear shouted as he showed off his size and strength.
Cricket shouted back, “But it’s my house, and I should protect it!”
This made Bear so furious that he said he would destroy the house, Cricket, and all of Cricket’s family. This made Cricket angry. “I have a friend who is only half my size, but he is strong enough to beat you in a fight.”
Bear laughed and said, “Go and get your friend, Cricket. I’ll return tomorrow, and we’ll see who can win in a fight.”
The next morning, Bear returned to Cricket’s house. “Come out, brave Cricket,” called Bear. Suddenly he felt a terrible ache on his back. He yelled, but Cricket’s friend Mosquito (蚊子) continued stinging (叮) until Bear yelled, “I give up!”
Just then Cricket appeared at the door of his house. Cricket told Bear to leave and never return. Bear quickly ran away.The title of the story tells us that it is probably about _____.
| A．making a new friend | B．learning a lesson |
| C．playing a game | D．winning a competition |
Where does this story most probably take place?
| A．In a city. | B．In a town. | C．At the beach. | D．In a forest. |
What is the theme of this story?
| A．Time passes too quickly. |
| B．Be friendly to neighbors. |
| C．Size isn’t everything. |
| D．Don’t be afraid of small things. |
What does the underlined word “furious” mean in this story?
| A．big and strong | B．very angry | C．loud | D．afraid |
How does Cricket finally solve (解决) his problem?
| A．He gets help from his friend. |
| B．He invites Bear to his home. |
| C．He and his family run away. |
| D．He stings Bear to make him go away. |
Llama is a(n) _____.
| A．zoo | B．boy | C．animal | D．important day |
Who can be invited to draw a picture of Wally?
| A．Linda, a high school student who loves drawing. |
| B．Tony, a father who loves drawing animals. |
| C．Tom, an elementary school student who loves drawing. |
| D．Susan, a college student who studies art. |
How long will Wally’s birthday party last?
| A．Thirty minutes. | B．Two hours. |
| C．Three hours. | D．Four hours. |
The Browns will visit Formosa Zoo on Nov.14. Who can get a special present?
| A．Ted. He will draw a picture of Wally. |
| B．Susan. She will send an email to Formosa Zoo. |
| C．Mrs Brown. She will help make cakes for Wally’s party. |
| D．Mr Brown. He has the same birthday as Wally. |
Stella wants to learn a lot about Wally’s life and history. Which activity should she join?
| A．Grandpa Lin’s Story Time |
| B．Picture Drawing |
| C．The Birthday Party |
| D．Best Wishes to Wally |
“My dream has come true. I have always wanted to be a Grand Slam (大满贯) champion.” These are the words of Chinese tennis player Li Na after she became the first Asian woman to win a Grand Slam final in the French Open on June 4, 2011.
“People were saying I’m getting old. So this is a great success for such an old woman,” the 29-year-old girl joked.
Miss Li has a tattoo (纹身). She has dyed her hair many different colors. And, at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, she told her fans to “shut up” when they got too noisy in their support.
Li Na was born in Wuhan, she started to play tennis at the age of 6. She once recalled: “As a child, I felt sad because every day I had to wake up early to practice. After school I had to practice more. I didn’t have time to play.”
Luckily, the strong girl didn’t give up, thus making history for Chinese tennis time after time.
Now the new champion is already thinking about winning another Grand Slam title. “When you have one title, surely you will think about another,” she says, not hiding her ambition (雄心).
“Chinese people are so lacking (缺乏) in confidence on the tennis court. If there is a person like me who can prove we Chinese can do it, the other young players in China will feel the same,” she said.
根据短文内容，选择正确答案。Li Na was born in the year of _____.
A. 1982 B. 1984 C. 1986The underlined word “dyed” here means “_____” in Chinese.
A. 焗油 B. 洗烫 C. 染色When she began to play tennis, Li Na was _____.
| A．happy | B．sad | C．excited | D．bored |
Which of the following is WRONG about Li Na?
A. Li Na didn’t take part in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
B. Li Na has already won a Grand Slam champion.
C. Li Na had to wake up early to practice playing tennis.The passage mainly tells us _____.
A. something about the tennis
B. the Grand Slam champion – Li Na
C. the Chinese people and the tennis