Wikipedia (维基百科) is a non-profit website funded by donations, started on 15thJanuary, 2001. “Wiki” means “quick” in the Hawaiian language. These days, most people go straight to Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia (百科), to look something up. But how reliable is it?
The site attracts 78 million visitors every month, and it is available in more than 270 different languages. It’s one of the most comprehensive (综合的) resources available, and it’s got much more information than an ordinary encyclopedia. The site is updated on a daily basis by thousands of people around the world. Anyone with an Internet connection can look through and edit the contents or add a new page at any time. And you don’t need any formal training.
Of course, there are some controls. Wikipedia has a team of more than 1,500 administrators who check for false information. And main targets for horrible comments (such as politicians) are forbidden to public editing. But with more than 16 million articles to keep an eye on, it isn’t easy. So, while Wikipedia benefits from being constantly updated with information from all over the world, it’s also open to “vandals”(故意捣乱者).
Some of the damage is easy to notice. Someone drew horns and a moustache on Microsoft chairman Bill Gates’ photo. But other things are harder to spot. The most common form of vandalism involves adding tiny items of false information into the biography of a famous person. Unbelievably, some of this misinformation has appeared in newspapers, withThe Daily Mail, The GuardianandThe Independentall having fallen victim to the tricks. For example, in an obituary (讣告) for British comedian Sir Norman Wisdom, one newspaper claimed that he co-wrote Dame Vera Lynn’s wartime song “There’ll be Bluebirds over the White Cliffs of Dover”. In fact, he did no such thing.
So if you’re going to use any information from Wikipedia, make sure you double-check it first.What do we know about Wikipedia?
| A．It makes profits from its users. |
| B．It is run by the Hawaiian government. |
| C．It provides a huge amount of information. |
| D．It is the most popular website worldwide. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A． 78 million people visit Wiki each day |
| B．To forbid wrong public editings is quite easy |
| C． Formal education is needed to do editing for Wifi |
| D．Some people change the information on Wiki just for fun |
The example of Norman Wisdom’s obituary is used to show _________.
| A．Wikipedia sometimes contains false information |
| B．some newspapers likeThe Guardianare irresponsible |
| C．Norman Wisdom is unpopular with some people |
| D．Wikipedia affects people’s lives greatly |
What does the author advise readers to do?
| A．To look through Wikipedia frequently. |
| B．To update Wikipedia on a daily basis. |
| C．To turn to other websites for valid information. |
| D．To be careful when using the information from Wikipedia. |
Parents should stop blaming themselves because there’s not a lot they can do about it. I mean the teenager problem. Whatever you do or however you choose to deal with it, at certain times a wonderful, reasonable and helpful child will turn into a terrible animal.
I’ve seen friends deal with it in all kinds of different ways. One strict mother insisted that her son, right from a child, should stand up whenever anyone entered the room, open doors and shake hands like a gentleman. I saw him last week when I called round. Sprawling himself (懒散地躺) on the sofa in full length, he made no attempt to turn off the loud TV he was watching as I walked in, and his greeting was no more than a quick glance at me. His mother was ashamed. “I don't know what to do with him these days,” she said. “He’s forgotten all the manners we taught him.”
He hasn’t forgotten them. He’s just decided that he’s not going to use them. She confessed (坦白) that she would like to come up behind him and throw him down from the sofa onto the floor.
Another good friend of mine let her two daughters climb all over the furniture, reach across the table, stare at me and say, “I don’t like your dress; it’s ugly.” One of the daughters has recently been driven out of school. The other has left home.
“Where did we go wrong?” her parents are now very sad. Probably nowhere much. At least, no more than the rest of that unfortunate race, parents.This text is most probably written by ______.
| A．a specialist（专家） in teenager studies | B．a headmaster of a middle school |
| C．a parent with teenage children | D．a doctor for mental health problems |
The underlined word “it” in the second paragraph refers to ______.
| A．the change from good to bad that’s seen in a child |
| B．the way that parents often blame themselves |
| C．the opinion that a child has of his parents |
| D．the advice that parents want their children to follow |
From the second example we can infer that the parents of the two daughters __.
| A．pay no attention to them | B．are too busy to look after them |
| C．have come to hate them | D．feel helpless to do much about them |
What is the author’s opinion about the sudden change in teenage children?
| A．Parents have no choice but to try to accept it. |
| B．Parents should pay still some attention to the change. |
| C．Parents should work more closely with school teachers. |
| D．Parents are at fault for the change in their children. |
Here are a few tips we’ve put together to help you learn English well.
Speak, speak, speak
Practise speaking as often as you can—even speaking to yourself is good practice.
Try recording yourself whenever you can. Compare your pronunciation with the master version, see how you can do better and have another go. If you do this several times, you will find that each version is better than the last.
Why not learn with someone else?
It helps if you can learn with someone else. If you can persuade a friend or a family member to study with you, it will make you keep working.
Don’t get stuck by a word you don’t know.
Practise improvising（即兴的）ways of getting your meaning across when speaking spontaneously（本能地）, even if you don’t know the exact words or phrases. Think of things you might want to say whenever you have spare time. Use facial expressions, hand movements, anything to get your meaning across.
Language learning is also about intuition（直觉）.
Guesswork is an important way to learn a new language. When listening to recorded material, you aren’t expected to understand everything first round. If you play the same piece several times, you will most probably understand something new each time.
Build up your vocabulary.
A wide vocabulary is the key to successful language learning but don’t try to learn too much at once. It’s best to study frequently, for short periods of time. Take at most six or seven items of vocabulary and learn them. Put them into sentences to fix them in your mind, then come back to them later.
And above all, have fun!Why should one have himself recorded when practicing speaking?
| A．To improve his speaking. | B．To record his own progress. |
| C．To encourage others to start. | D．To compare himself with others. |
In the writer’s opinion, which of the following is the most important in leaning English?
| A．Speaking. | B．Pleasure. | C．Intuition. | D．Vocabulary. |
It is implied in the passage that _______ is helpful when you are learning English.
| A．body language | B．a good material |
| C．a good friend | D．a proper dictionary |
According to the passage, one should ______ when you are learning English.
| A．always work with other people | B．be able to guess everything new |
| C．often review what he has learnt | D．take little notice of grammar |
Too many people want others to be their friends, but they don’t give friendship back. That is why some friendships do not last very long. To have a friend, you must learn to be one. You must learn to treat your friend the way you want your friend treat you. Learning to be a good friend means learning three rules. Be honest; be generous; be understanding.
Honesty is where a good friendship starts. Friends must be able to trust one another. If you do not tell the truth, people usually find out. If a friend finds out that you haven’t been honest you may lose your friends’ trust. Good friends always count on one another to speak and act honestly.
Generosity means sharing and sharing makes a friendship grow. You do not have to give your lunch money on your clothes of course. Instead you have to learn how to share things you enjoy, like your hobbies and your interest. Naturally you will want to share your ideas and feelings. These can be very valuable to a friend. They tell your friend what is important to you. By sharing them you help your friend know you better.
Sooner or later every one needs understanding and help with a problem. Something may go wrong at school. Talking about the problem can make it easier to solve. Turning to a friend can be a first step in solving the problem. So to be a friend you must listen and understand. You must try to put yourself in your friend’s place so you can understand the problem better.
No two friendships are ever exactly alike. But all true friendships have three things in common. If you plan to keep your friends, you must practise honesty, generosity, and understanding.Some friendships don’t last very long because ____.
| A．there are too many people who want to make friends. |
| B．those who never give others friendships receive no friendship from others. |
| C．those who give others friendship receive friendship from others. |
| D．they don’t know friendship is something serious. |
According to the passage honesty is _____.
| A．something good | B．the base of friendship |
| C．as important as money | D．more important than anything else |
The underlined word “generosity” means ___.
| A．大度 | B．节约 | C．吝啬 | D．和气 |
Which of the following isn’t mentioned (提及)in the passage?
| A．Always tell your friend the truth. |
| B．Sharing your mind with your friend is of great value. |
| C．Discussing your problems with your friend often helps to solve the problem. |
| D．A friend who gives you his lunch money is a true friend. |
American middle school students don’t seem to care that they’re worse at maths than their counterparts (同龄人) in China’s Hong Kong and Finland. “I don’t need it,” my student says, “I’m going to be a basketball star.” Or a car mechanic, or a singer.
Middle school students’ maths skills were tested by the International Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. The United States ranked 28th out of 41 countries tested. After all, when was the last time you used algebra (代数)？
But maths isn’t just about training Americans to become scientists. It has its own value. It helps you see patterns and develops your logic skills, and it teaches you to concentrate and to separate truth from falsehood. Maths helps you make wise financial decisions, so you can avoid false claims from advertisers, politicians and others. It helps you determine risk. For example, after an airplane crash, studies show that people are more likely to drive than to take a plane in spite of the fact that they are much more likely to be killed or injured while driving. Planes are not like criminals who repeat the same crime over and over. One plane is not more likely to crash just because another plane recently did. In fact, the most dangerous time to drive is probably right after a plane crash because so many people are on the road.
It is not possible to really understand science and the scientific method without understanding maths. A rainbow is even more beautiful and amazing when we understand it.
The precision (精确性) of maths helps us think in a very special way. How do we bring the learning of maths back to life? I don’t have the big answer. I try my best to help pupils find answers to some maths problems. When I can get one to say, “Wow, that’s great,” I feel the joy of a small victory.Some American students don’t care about their poor maths results because __________.
| A．maths is useless to most people |
| B．they have no interest in maths |
| C．they think maths has nothing to do with their future |
| D．they don’t do well in maths |
The example in Paragraph 3 is used to show __________.
| A．every coin has its two sides |
| B．we should not be cheated by fault facts |
| C．maths is close to our daily life |
| D．a simple fact shows complicated rules |
The writer would agree that __________.
| A．it’s normal that America kids are weak in maths |
| B．without maths we’ll miss much in our life |
| C．maths is the most important subject at school |
| D．American kids don’t work hard at school |
This text is most probably written by __________.
| A．a student career guide | B．a researcher on students’ problems |
| C．a specialist in students’ studies | D．a maths teacher |
The Weekly Telegraph is Britain’s global newspaper, the home-grown quality newspaper that delivers the best of The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph to the British around the world and adds its special articles, features and reports designed to be of real value to foreign readers．Telegraph．co．uk/expat, the website, increases the value of the newspaper, thus creating a complete expatriate（国外的）support system, both online and offline．
Order a gift subscription（订阅）for a friend or relation overseas this Christmas and they will begin to recognize what a useful investment your subscription represents, and you’ll receive a FREE bottle of 10-year-old Tawny Port to enjoy at home in the UK．
Subscriptions will start early January 2010．Port can only be delivered to a UK address and receivers must be over 18 years of age．
For more details or for 6-month subscriptions, please contact our subscriptions department on Tel +44 （0） 1622 335080 or emailweeklytelegraphsubs@telegraph．co．ukOffice hours: 09:00-17:00 GMT）．
Please contactweeklytelegraphsubs@telegraph．co．ukwith any questions regarding your subscription．
Your money back if you are not satisfied
Our “no quibble” money-back policy means that we guarantee to return the money for your subscription in full if you are not satisfied with the first four issues．
YOUR PAYMENT
Select a zone of payment．Price is for 52 issues．
United Kingdom105．00 GBP （Great Britain Pound）
USA125．00 GBP
Canada/ Australia/ New Zealand108．00 GBP
Zambia/ Zimbabwe /Tanzania85．00 GBP
South Africa80．00 GBP
Middle East/ Europe/ Rest of the world80．00 GBPThe Weekly Telegraph in the advertisement is mainly intended for ______．
| A．the British at home and abroad | B．the British in the UK |
| C．the foreigners in Britain | D．English learners across the globe |
If you want to receive a free bottle of 10-year-old Tawny Port, you must ______．
a．live in the United Kingdom b．have an overseas friend who is over 18
c．order a subscription of the Weekly Telegraph
d．offer your friend or relation’s address overseas
| A．a, b | B．c, d | C．a, c | D．b, c |
What do we know about the Weekly Telegraph from the passage?
| A．The content of it can’t be read online． |
| B．One can subscribe to it 24 hours a day． |
| C．Your money can partly come back if you’re not satisfied． |
| D．The prices for different countries are probably different． |
To order a 6-month subscription for a friend in Tanzania, you should ______．
| A．contact the subscriptions department |
| B．subscribe to the Daily Telegraph for a year |
| C．tell your friend to visit telegraph．co．uk/expat |
| D．pay 85．00 GBP |
Which of the following statements is true based on the text?
| A．Telegraph．co．uk/expat receives support from online readers only． |
| B．Subscriptions of the paper can be made starting from January 2010． |
| C．Telegraph．co．uk/expat mainly solve your subscription problems． |
| D．US and Middle East readers can enjoy equal price for 52 issues． |