The world is changing so fast that English, perhaps the most worldly of languages, is struggling to keep up.
Learners in the future are likely to be much younger. Young children are often said to be better at language learning than older learners but they also have special challenges. Young children don’t usually have the kind of instrumental motivation and determination for learning English that older learners often have. English lessons must therefore be fun and rewarding.
The reasons why people learn English are also changing. Globalization is bringing together more people than ever who speak different languages and who are turning to English as the means of communication. The English learners of the future may be less worried about sounding exactly like a native speaker and more concerned about how to use English effectively in cross-cultural communication. We may be hearing more non-native speakers in dialogues and a wider range of the “New Englishes” now used around the world.
Technology will allow English to come to you, rather than you having to go to a special place to learn English.
Learning English has always involved both pain and pleasure, private effort and social activity. Traditional learning provided take-it or leave-it mixes of these as well as of content but in future learners will be able to choose a plan which suits their cultural and psychological dispositions(性情), or their particular needs at that moment. They, rather than their teachers, will decide how, what and when they will learn.
Above all, learning English is about communication and an important benefit of learning English is being able to exchange views and make friends with people all over the world. Despite the growing independence of learners, trusted institutions and brand names will remain important.
Compared to older learners, young English learners .
| A．are more active in learning |
| B．are more hard-working in learning |
| C．have more difficulties in learning |
| D．have less lasting determination in learning |
What can we learn about the future English language?
| A．British English will be more popular. |
| B．American English will be more popular. |
| C．Most people will speak standard English. |
| D．Many different kinds of Englishes will appear. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Future English lessons will be more interesting. |
| B．Old people won’t have to learn English in the future. |
| C．People will pay more attention to English pronunciation. |
| D．Teachers will play a more important role in one’s English learning. |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．Learning English means no pain in the future. |
| B．English training schools will not be popular with young people in the future. |
| C．English learners will become less independent in the future. |
| D．More attention will be paid to personal needs in English learning in the future. |
Liverpool, with its half a million citizens, is a big city. It's a city with variety and options.
Every year, tourists from all over the world go to Liverpool, most of whom head straight for the stadium to catch the city's two football teams in action. Liverpool and Everton are both world－famous clubs with fans from all corners of the World, as well as a good number of home grown supporters.
Another big draw to the city is the four local boys. Paul, John, George and Ringo, collectively famous as The Beatles. The pop quartet (四重唱表演小组) first put Liverpool on the world map in the 1960s. The Beatles Story, situated at the Albert Dock, is a huge draw for fans, and you'll find the Beatles shop and ever－popular Cavern Club, the “birthplace of the perfect Four”, in the Cavern Quarter of the city. Fans can also join one of the coach trips around the sights associated with the band, from the houses they grew up in, to the places including Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields.
But Liverpool is about more than music and sport. It is rich in history, with some of the most shocking architecture in the UK. The city has two great cathedrals(教堂): Anglican－the largest of its kind in Europe; and the more modern－styled Metropolitan. The famous waterfront, with the Pierhead and the Albert Docks, is also worth a visit. Many of the city's great museums are situated here, including the Walker Art Gallery, the Liverpool Maritime Museum, and the Tate Gallery, which is home to the largest modern art collection in the North. The nightlife in the city also has a lot to offer. With more than 250 bars, pubs and restaurants, there is always something for everyone to do in Liverpool. Music, museums, shopping, history, pubs and bars——it's all there. It is the world in one city, a place truly deserving of the Capital of Culture title.Liverpool and Everton are___________clubs.
| A．architecture | B．music |
| C．tourist | D．football |
What made Liverpool first known to the world?
| A．The Beatles. | B．Cavern Club. |
| C．The Beatles Story. | D．The Beatles shop. |
Compared with Metropolitan, the cathedral Anglican is__________.
| A．better－known | B．more shocking |
| C．more traditional | D．smaller |
Why does the author say “It is the world in one city” in the last paragraph?
| A．Liverpool belongs to the world. |
| B．Liverpool is a lively city with various cultures. |
| C．Liverpool owns lots of museums well－known in the world. |
| D．Liverpool is world famous now. |
During my high school years, the most important thing was what I was wearing to the Friday night dance and who I was taking. Although college was talked about, it was the least of my worries.
When I was graduating eighth grade and starting high school, my older brother was graduating twelfth grade and going onto college. For my graduation, he gave me a card in which he wrote, “Enjoy your four years…, they go by fast.” I remember not believing him then, but looking back…, he was right. Those four years shaped who I was as a person, pushed me to my limit and encouraged me to become an adult.
However, I was so completely absorbed in my junior and senior years of high school, that when someone spoke of college I brushed it off. I wasn't ready to leave my comfort zone of having all of my closest friends together and knowing what every single day was going to be like . Studying was something I did only AFTER I nailed my half-time dance performance. I knew my parents wanted me to go to college, so I told them I would go to commuity college and I didn’t worry about my SAT scores.
When my senior year passed and everyone graduated and went off to their own college ,I started to wish I had done the same. My friends were living away, meeting new people, discovering new places, and I was living at home and driving to and from class every day. It seemed exactly like high school. I hated it! I thought college was supposed to be different! Why didn’t I take more time to research colleges and do the same? I ended up loving college and wishing I had four years to enjoy the campus atmosphere instead of two.
My advice to anyone thinking about attending college is to think about it very seriously and look into all of your choices well ahead of time. Now I have graduated and I am working full time and I would do anything to go back to my high school days for a second chance!Why didn’t the author worry about his SAT scores?
| A．He had a gift for dance.. |
| B．He wanted to go to community college |
| C．He was well prepared for the exam. |
| D．He believed his brother would help him. |
When in high school, the author.
| A．buried himself in his study all the time |
| B．drove to and from class every day |
| C．enjoyed talking about future college life |
| D．lived in the school except on holidays |
What did the author’s brother mean by “Enjoy your four years…, they go by fast.”?
| A．He wished the author to have more dance. |
| B．He encouraged the author to leave his comfort zone. |
| C．He advised the author to value the years. |
| D．He suggested the author aim at a community college. |
Talking of his high school years, the author feels.
| A．regretful | B．lonely | C．angry | D．pleased |
There are one billion homeless people living in our world today. The Homeless World Cup exists to end this, so we all have a home, a basic human need.
The Homeless World Cup is an annual, international football tournament(联赛), uniting teams of people who are homeless to take a once in a lifetime opportunity to represent their country and change their lives forever. It has inspired and supported over 50 grass roots (基层的) football projects around the world working with homeless people throughout the year.
The first tournament took place in Graz 2003 uniting 17 national teams. At the 5th Homeless World Cup in Copenhagen in 2004, 48 nations, 500 players were united for a once in a lifetime opportunity to represent their country. 25,000 players were involved in pre-tournament training and trials around the world.
The Homeless World Cup is full of players with courage, spirit and determination. Research shows that 73% of players change their lives for the better after the international tournament by coming off drugs and alcohol, moving into jobs, education, homes, training, reuniting with families and even going on to become players and coaches for professional or semi-professional football teams. David Duke (Scotland) played in 2004, came off alcohol, passed his coaching qualifications (资格). He became assistant coach for Scotland 2005, coach in 2006 and now owns his own home. The best goal scorer in 2004 Yevgen Adamenko (Ukraine) went on to play in a professional club in Ukraine.
The Homeless World Cup supporters include Nike, UN, Manchester United, Real Madrid and international footballers Didier Drogba and Rio Ferdinand.The purpose of the Homeless World Cup is to __________.
| A．find a home for homeless people |
| B．collect money for homeless people |
| C．help the homeless kick bad habits |
| D．help the homeless start a new life |
Which of the following statements is true about the Copenhagen Homeless World Cup?
| A．It took place in early December. |
| B．25,000 players entered the tournament. |
| C．Nearly 50 teams competed in the tournament. |
| D．David Duke won the best goal scorer in 2004. |
Why does the writer give the examples of Yevgen Adamenko and David Duke?
| A．To attract people to join the Homeless World Cup. |
| B．To show the influence of the Homeless World Cup. |
| C．To show the popularity of the Homeless World Cup. |
| D．To inspire people to support the Homeless World Cup. |
The underlined words “coming off” in Paragraph 4 can be replaced by ________.
| A．giving up | B．falling in |
| C．cutting off | D．looking down |
In Africa, Christmas day begins with groups of carolers (欢唱颂歌的人) walking to and fro through the village, along the roadway, by the houses of the churchmen, singing the lovely carols known the world around. Often people may be awakened by a group of carolers beginning to gather at the church. They return home to make final preparation as to the clothes one must wear and also as to his offering for the Christmas service. The most important part of their Christmas service is the love offering. This is the gift in honor of Jesus. At about 8 or 9 o’clock, everyone makes their way to the celebration of the birthday of Jesus. Everyone who attends the service goes forward to lay down their gift upon the raised platform near the Communion table. Not one person will attend the service without giving a gift.
Christmas in South Africa is a summer holiday. There is no snow, but it has many flowers, many beautiful varieties of wild flowers being in their full pride.
In Ghana, most churches announce the coming of Christmas by decorating the church and homes beginning with the first week in Advent, four weeks before Christmas. This season happens to be the cocoa harvest time, so it is a time of wealth. Everyone returns home from wherever they might be, such as farms or mines.
In Africa, it is the traditional dinner of turkey, roast beef, mince pies, suckling pig, yellow rice with raisins, vegetables, and plum pudding, or crackers. In the afternoon, families go out into the country and usually there are games or bathing in the warm sunshine, and then home in the cool of the evening. Boxing Day is also a public holiday of real relaxation usually spent in the open air, which falls on December 26.The writer of this passage mainly wants to _________.
| A．persuade us to have a holiday in Africa |
| B．introduce to us when Christmas came into being |
| C．tell us how people celebrate Christmas in Africa |
| D．describe some important holidays in Africa |
The correct order of the following festivals should be ________.
| A．Christmas→ Boxing Day→ Advent |
| B．Boxing Day→ Christmas→ Advent |
| C．Christmas→ Advent→ Boxing Day |
| D．Advent→ Christmas→ Boxing Day |
If you visit South Africa on Christmas day, you’ll find ________.
| A．everyone returns home to harvest cocoa |
| B．people enjoy a traditional dinner |
| C．the church and homes are being decorated |
| D．it is snowing heavily everywhere |
In Africa, the traditional dinner for Christmas including the following EXCEPT ________.
| A．pumpkin pies | B．yellow rice |
| C．crackers | D．turkey |
The Cat in the Hat takes place on a cold, wet day with two kids awaiting their mother’s return. Instead of their mother, a strange cat enters the house. He begins balancing a fish bowl on the tip of his umbrella while balancing himself on a beach ball! The two kids and their pet fish worry and worry. But readers around the world laughed and laughed over the Cat and the Hat.
Theodore Seuss Geisel, known to fans as Dr. Seuss, wrote the book. It was first published in 1957. Geisel liked to have fun and make people laugh, but he had a serious reason for writing the book. In 1954, a Life magazine article argued that kids couldn’t read because the books used to teach them how to read were too boring. John Hersey, the Pulitzer-prize winning author of the article, suggested Geisel write a story that “first graders wouldn’t be able to put down”.
To write the book, Geisel had to have a good knowledge of a beginning reader’s word list. Geisel says that he came up with the title by looking for the first two words on the list that rhymed (押韵). And so The Cat in the Hat was born! But it wasn’t an easy book to write. It took Geisel one and a half years to complete.
To celebrate The Cat in the Hat’s birthday, Random House, the book’s publisher, created Project 236. The number 236 represents the number of words Geisel used to write the book. As a part of Project 236, there will be a nationwide read-aloud of The Cat in the Hat at 2:36 on March 2, Dr. Seuss’s birthday.According to Paragraph 1, we know that The Cat in the Hat ______.
| A．tells stories between two kids and their pet fish |
| B．was written for children left alone at home |
| C．entertained children around the world |
| D．was written in winter |
What is Dr. Seuss’s purpose in writing The Cat in the Hat?
| A．To improve children’s reading. |
| B．To support John Hersey. |
| C．To develop educational system. |
| D．To make readers laugh. |
It can be inferred that John Hersey ______.
| A．thought his article was too difficult for first graders to read |
| B．was dissatisfied with children’s readings of that time |
| C．won the Pulitzer-prize because of the book |
| D．was the editor of the magazine Life |
Why did Random House create Project 236?
| A．To celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday. |
| B．In support of the nationwide read-loud. |
| C．To make more readers get to know Dr. Seuss. |
| D．In honour of the birth of The Cat in the Hat. |