American culture is unique because it is formed and developed under certain conditions. The major factors contributing to the making of this new nation and the forming of a new culture are the hard environment, ethnic diversity (多样性；差异) and plural religion, which is quite different from other nations in the world. What is more, these elements are still influencing the American culture.
The early immigrants（移民）who were English Puritans settled down in northeast part of America from 1607 to 1892. Frontiers were pushed further west. The frontiersmen looked for a land of rich resources and a land of promise, opportunity and freedom. Actually they looked for a better life. So individualism(个人主义), self-reliance, and equality of opportunity have perhaps been the values most closely associated with the frontier heritage（遗产）of America.
In history, people from different countries in the world rushed to America three times. They brought their own culture to America and later on, different cultures were mixed together. Thus the unique American culture was formed, a common cultural life with commonly shared values.
The fundamental American belief in individual freedom and the fight of individuals to practice their own religion is at the center of religious experience in the United States. The great diversity of ethnic backgrounds has produced religious pluralism(多元化); almost all of the religions of the world are now practiced in the United States.
Nowadays, we can see the continual influence of the three elements in the current American society. American family is typically parents and their unmarried children. Middle-aged and elderly people generally do not live with their married children. The people in America have a very strong desire to start a new life in a new place. Quite a number of people change residences every year. The average American moves fourteen times in his lifetime. We can learn from this article that ________.
| A．the population of the United States includes a large variety of ethnic groups |
| B．the early immigrants brought about the unique American culture |
| C．people in the world once rushed to America because of its unique culture |
| D．the American family members don't get along well with each other |
What's the author's attitude towards American culture?
| A．He is critical of it. |
| B．He admires it very much. |
| C．He just states the facts. |
| D．He looks down upon it. |
The last paragraph is about________.
| A．the family structure in American society |
| B．the influence of the three elements in the current American society |
| C．the new life style of American family |
| D．the reason why American people like to change residences |
What might be the most suitable title of this article?
| A．The Immigrants in America |
| B．Why American Culture Is Unique |
| C．The Influence of American Culture |
| D．Plural Religion and American Culture |
So long as teachers fail to distinguish (differ) between teaching and learning, they will continue to undertake to do for children that which only children can do for themselves. Teaching children to read is not passing reading on to them. It is certainly not endless hours spent in activities about reading. Douglas insists that “reading cannot be taught directly and schools should stop trying to do the impossible”.
Teaching and learning are two entirely different processes. They differ in kind and function. The function of teaching is to create the conditions and the climate that will make it possible for children to plan cleverly the most efficient(有效的) system for teaching themselves to read. Teaching is also a public activity: It can be seen and observed.
Learning to read involves all that each individual does to understand the world of printed language. Almost all of it is private, for learning is an occupation of the mind, and that process is not open to public scrutiny.
If teacher and learner roles are not interchangeable, what then can be done through teaching that will aid the child in the long search for knowledge? Smith has one principle rule for all teaching instructions. “Make learning to read easy, which means making reading a meaningful, enjoyable and frequent experience for children.”
When the roles of teacher and learner are seen for what they are, and when both teacher and learner fulfill them properly, then much of the pressure and feeling of failure for both is got rid of. Learning to read is made easier when teachers create an environment where children are given the chance to solve the problem of learning to read by learning. The problem with the reading course as mentioned in the first paragraph is that_______.
| A．too much time is spent in teaching about reading |
| B．reading tasks are given with little guidance |
| C．it is one of the most difficult school courses |
| D．students spend limited hours in reading |
The teaching of reading will be successful if _______.
| A．teachers can make their teaching activities observable |
| B．teachers can teach their students how to read |
| C．teachers can improve conditions at school for the students |
| D．teachers can enable students to develop their own way of reading |
The word “scrutiny” (Paragraph 3) most probably means “_______”.
| A．unbelief | B．control | C．inquiry | D．observation |
The main idea of the passage is that_______.
| A．reading is more complicated than believable |
| B．reading ability is something gained rather than taught |
| C．teachers should encourage students to read as widely as possible |
| D．teachers should do as little as possible in helping students learn to read |
Answer the following questions by using the information taken from a dictionary page. (You may read the questions first.)
jaguar: n. a type of large, yellow-colored cat with black markings found in the southwestern region of the U. S. and in Central and South America.
jargon: 1. n. speech that doesn’t make sense. 2. n. an unknown language that seems strange or impossible to understand. 3. n. a language made up of two or more other languages: His jargon was a mixture of French and English. 4. n. the special vocabulary of a field or profession: Her report on computers was filled with jargon.
jaunt: 1. n. a trip taken for fun. 2. v. to go on a brief pleasant trip: We jaunted to the country last Saturday.
javelin: 1. n. a spear most commonly used as weapon or in hunting. 2. n. a lightweight metal or wooden spear that is thrown in track-and-field contests. 3. n. the contest in which a javelin is thrown. 4. v. to strike, as with a javelin.
jazz: 1. n. a type of music that originated in New Orleans and is characterized by rhythmic beats. 2. n. popular dance music influenced by jazz. 3. n. slang empty talk. 4. ad. of or like jazz: a jazz band, jazz records.
Jennet: n. a small Spanish horse. Which meaning of the word javelin is used in the sentence below?
At the competition, Jack drew his arm back and threw the javelin 50 yards.
| A．Definition 1 | B．Definition 2 |
| C．Definition 3 | D．Definition 4 |
Which meaning of the word jargon is used in the sentence below?
Doctors often speak in medical jargon.
| A．Definition 1 | B．Definition 2 |
| C．Definition 3 | D．Definition 4 |
What does the word jazz mean in the following sentence?
Don’t give me that jazz, for I am a practical person.
| A．rhythmic beats | B．a type of music |
| C．a kind of dance | D．meaningless talk |
To get cash out in the 21st century, you won’t need a bank card, a PIN(个人识别编号) or even have to move a finger. You will simply have to look the cash machine straight in the eye, declares National Cash Registers, a multinational company that makes automated teller machines, or ATMs. NCR has shown its first example machine that is believed to be the future of banking. Instead of asking you for your PIN on a screen, the Super Teller-Stella for short, asks you orally through a loudspeaker to look straight ahead while an infrared camera turns to your head, then your eye, and finally takes an infrared photograph of your iris(虹膜). For identification(识别) purposes, an iris picture is better than a fingerprint, with around 256 noticeable characteristics compared with 40 for fingerprints. This means that the chances of someone else being recognized in your place is about 1 in 1020. Once you’ve been identified, Stella greets you by name and says: “Would you like cash or a statement?” An infrared port allows the machine to send a bank statement straight to your pocket computer. What does this passage mainly talk about?
| A．A new medical instrument |
| B．A new type of talking machine. |
| C．A new type of cash machine. |
| D．National Cash Register |
What is this new machine called?
| A．Stella | B．ATM | C．PIN | D．NCR |
When you want to get cash out in the 21st century, you will _______.
| A．need a bank card | B．have to put in your PIN |
| C．move your finger | D．just look directly at the teller machine |
The average person learns most of the 30 000～40 000 words whose meanings he or she recognizes by hearing them or getting familiar with them in the context or simply absorbing them without conscious(意识到的) effort. The best way to build a good vocabulary, therefore, is to read a great deal and to participate in a lot of good talks. There are relatively few words that we learn permanently(永久的)by purposefully referring to dictionaries or keeping word lists. However, even those extra few are of value, and no one will make a mistake by working on developing a larger vocabulary. Here are some suggestions of how to do it.
Read plenty of good books. When you come across a new word, or a new meaning of an old word, stop and see if you can understand it from its context. If you can't, and if you can manage without interrupting the thought of the book too much, look it up in a dictionary or ask somebody and then repeat its meaning to yourself a couple of times. If you are really conscientious(认真的), write the word and its meaning in a personal vocabulary list — preferably using it in a sentence, or you can keep a special vocabulary notebook. Go over the list from time to time. Further, try to use a new word in writing or conversation a few times over the next several days.
Listen to good talks and be alert to new words you hear or to new meanings of words you already know. Then treat them just as you treat the new words you read.
Learn and be alert to the parts of words: prefixes, suffixes and roots. Knowing them enables you to make intelligent guesses about the meaning of words.
If you are studying a foreign language, be alert to words in that language which relate to words in English. English has inherited(继承) or borrowed much of its vocabulary of 500 000～600 000 words from Latin, Greek, French, Spanish and German. When you meet a new word in reading, what should you do?
| A．Guess its meaning. | B．Ask somebody. |
| C．Look it up in a dictionary. | D．All of the above. |
According to this passage, the best way to build a good vocabulary is _______.
| A．to remember a lot | B．to read a great deal |
| C．to take part in a lot of good talks | D．both B and C |
The phrase “be alert to” in the third paragraph may best be replaced by “_______”.
| A．look at | B．pay attention to |
| C．write down | D．learn by heart |
In the fourth paragraph, the word “them” refers to _______.
| A．the parts of words | B．prefixes |
| C．suffixes | D．roots |
Doreen Sykora is now a junior at McGill University. She had a difficult time when she first began college. She said, “I was always well prepared for my examinations. But when I go into class to take the exam, I would fall apart. I could just blank out because of nervousness and fear.” Hitoshi Sakamoto, an anthropology(人类学) student at Temple University in Tokyo reports similar experiences.
These two young students were experiencing something called test anxiety. Because a student worries and is stressed(加压力于) about a test, his or her mind does not work as well as it usually does. The student cannot write or think clearly because of the severe tension and nervousness.
Now there are special university courses to help students. In these courses, advisors and psychologists try to help students by teaching them to manage test anxiety. Such a course helps students learn to live with stress and not fail because of it. First students take a practice test to measure their worry level. If the tests show that their stress level is high, the students can take a short course to manage the fear. These courses teach students how to relax their bodies. They get training to become calm in very tense situations. By controlling their nervousness, they can let their minds work more easily. Learned information then comes out without difficulty on a test.
Doreen Sykora saw immediate results after taking such a course. She now has enthusiasm about the relaxation methods. “Mostly, what I do is imagine myself in a very calm place. Then I imagine myself picking up a pencil. I move slowly and carefully. I breathe easily and let all the tension out. With each breath, more worry leaves me. It really works too. My grades have improved greatly! I’m really doing well at McGill now. This relaxation method works not only on examinations, but it has improved the rest of my life as well.”
For Hitoshi in Tokyo, the results were much the same. He is enjoying school a lot more and learning more.What is the similarity between Doreen Sykora and Hitoshi Sakamoto?
| A．They are students from the same university. |
| B．They failed in all the examinations. |
| C．They both had experiences of test anxiety. |
| D．They both had the same poor studying habits. |
The phrase “blank out” in Paragraph 1 refers to “_______.”
| A．lose interest in the exam | B．refuse to take the exam |
| C．get an extra paper | D．be unable to think clearly |
What’s the purpose of some special university student-help courses?
| A．To help students to reduce test anxiety. |
| B．To show a stress level experienced by students. |
| C．To learn more knowledge about test anxiety. |
| D．To have a better understanding of test anxiety. |