When I first arrived in Taiwan to teach English, I had already taken several courses in university on Mandarin Chinese. I had done well in those courses and enjoyed them very much. I thought I would be able to have a conversation with Chinese speakers and improve my Chinese in the process.
However, as soon as I settled in Taiwan I became afraid to speak. Seeing all of the signs written in Chinese, constantly overhearing long streams of spoken Chinese, and seeing the effortless fluency of some foreigners who had been there for a while, I began to doubt my own ability to speak Chinese. It’s proved that things were different outside of the classroom.
What really happened to me was what happens every day to Chinese language learners. I became afraid and nervous at the foreignness of the language. Something happened a few weeks later. I tried to spend a lot of time in public, and the sound of spoken Chinese was becoming more ordinary to me. Despite the fact that I had not been practicing my Chinese and I had not consulted my vocabulary flashcards. I begin to notice some words that I recognized from my courses in university. At first, I heard only one word. “dianhua”- telephone. After that, I begin hearing other words. Sometimes, I would hear a couple of words in one sentence.
More and more words began to stand out to me. I started studying Chinese characters and began to be able to read small blocks of text in the advertisements. When I really began speaking in Chinese to Chinese people I met, I began to learn Chinese fast and the smiles that I received in return were a fantastic reward for the work that I had done in learning the language. It was a great feeling to order food from a restaurant in Chinese, or to make a comment about the weather to the lady who works at the bank.What can we conclude from the passage?
| A．The author is sharing his Spoken Chinese experience. |
| B．The author is a fearful and cautious man. |
| C．The author didn’t get good grades at university. |
| D．The author couldn’t adjust to the life of Taiwan. |
According to the passage we know that_______.
| A．Chinese dishes and weather attract the author deeply. |
| B．the author thought he could talk with Chinese in mandarin before he arrived in Taiwan. |
| C．the author failed to improve his spoken Chinese. |
| D．the language in reality is just the same as that taught in classroom. |
Why does the author doubt his ability to speak Chinese at first?
| A．Everything in Taiwan is different from that in America. |
| B．People often misunderstand the author on purpose. |
| C．Other foreigners can’t communicate with him. |
| D．He has difficulty understanding the native language. |
What do you know about the author in the passage?
| A．He only enjoys talking with the local people in Chinese. |
| B．He can speak fluent Chinese when ordering meals at last. |
| C．He loves to make a comment on woman. |
| D．He has been rewarded for speaking Chinese. |
When TV news programs report wars or disasters, the editors rarely use the most horrifying pictures of dead or wounded victims because they don’t want to upset their viewers. Even so, viewers are usually warned in advance that they may find some of these scenes disturbing, so they can look away if they choose. But the men and women whose job is to record those scenes－the TV cameramen－have no such choice. It is their duty to witness the horrors of the world and record them, no matter how terrible and unpleasant they may be. Consequently, it is one of the most dangerous, exposed and emotionally taxing jobs the world has to offer.
Today, the demand for their work is rising. The explosion of satellite broadcasting and 24-hour news in recent years has created an almost insatiable (贪得无厌的) demand for TV information. But major broadcasters and the TV news agencies—such as Reuters and WTN－have never had enough staff to meet the worldwide demand for up-to-date pictures, so increasingly they turn to “freelance” TV cameramen.
These freelance cameramen are independent operators tied to no particular organization. They will work for any company which hires them, be it for just a few hours or for several weeks in a war zone. But if the freelance cameraman is injured in the course of the job, the TV company is not responsible for him. The freelancer must survive on his own.
TV will always need hard, vivid moving pictures which are fresh, but these companies feel uncomfortable with large numbers of employees on their books, explains Nick Growing, once foreign editor for Britain Channel 4 News and now a BBC news presenter.
By hiring freelancers, they can buy in the skills they need only when they need them. It also enables them to contract out the risk, he says.TV news agencies turn to freelance cameramen in order to .
| A．save expense and avoid risks |
| B．get free and useful pictures |
| C．get first-hand information and pictures |
| D．satisfy the greed of the freelance cameramen |
We can infer from the passage that the freelance cameramen .
| A．have to take a lot of risks in the course of work |
| B．are tied to many TV news agencies |
| C．have better skills than other cameramen |
| D．need to contract out risks of work for TV companies |
According to this passage, some major broadcasters and TV news agencies .
A. have employed enough cameramen
B. are not willing to employ many cameramen
C. are very mean to freelancers
C. are responsible for the freelancer if he is injuredThe author of this passage shows his the freelance cameramen.
| A．sympathy to | B．respect for | C．anger to | D．admiration to |
Surrounded by the towns of Davidson, Huntersville and Cornelius, Lake Norman is a man-made lake. It is also the largest lake in the state covering a shoreline of more than 500 miles. State Park on the lake gives a chance for different water activities.
People, both tourists and locals, come to the area on weekends, where during the peak season a large crowd arrives to relax and have fun. A great activity for kids is education except fun. The tour covers aquatic(水生的) life, especially that seen at Lake Norman. Since it is more of an educational one it also covers other important knowledge about water.
Those wanting to go boating are seen off into the lake on canoes and pedal boats which are rented on hourly basis. The charges are $5 per hour increased by $3 for every additional(附加的) hour. The boats can be kept on the lake all day from 10 in the morning till 5 in the evening during the summers. Both canoes and pedal boats can seat 2 to 4 people.
The park also set up a group tent camp, where a site can hold about 25 people. People from all over the country come here to catch some fishing action, obviously hoping to catch some fish as well. The inner park lake is also great for fishing, though it offers a smaller area compared to Lake Norman. Those here for adventure like to go for biking and hiking on the trails inside the park.
Lake Norman is a great place to spend time with family and friends. People come here on vacation or simply to kick back after a week’s work and relax. From the passage we learn that Lake Norman is ______.
| A．the second largest lake in the USA |
| B．surrounded by the town of Davidson |
| C．not a natural one but made by people |
| D．about five hundred metres long |
A large number of people came to the park ______.
| A．to watch the performances here | B．during the peak season |
| C．to have sports games | D．all the year round |
In what way does the park attract children except having fun?
| A．Learning a lot. | B．Catching fish. |
| C．Going hiking. | D．Going cycling. |
How much will you have to pay at least if the five of you want to go boating a day?
| A．28 dollars. | B．36 dollars. | C．23 dollars. | D．46 dollars. |
If you want to save more money you can ______.
| A．stay in the hotel that is near the park |
| B．come to the park in summer or spring |
| C．stay in the tent of the park for the night |
| D．fish in the small lake in the park |
In England, people often talk about the weather because they can experience (经历) four seasons in one day. In the morning the weather is warm just like in spring. An hour later black clouds come and then it rains hard. The weather gets a little cold. In the late afternoon the sky will be sunny, the sun will begin to shine, and it will be summer at this time of a day.
In England, people can also have summer in winter, or have winter in summer. So in winter they can swim sometimes, and in summer sometimes they should take warm clothes.
When you go to England, you will see that some English people usually take an umbrella (伞)or a raincoat with them in the sunny morning, but you should not laugh at them.
If you don't take an umbrella or a raincoat, you will regret (后悔) later in the day.Why do people in England often talk about the weather?
| A．Because they may have four seasons in one day |
| B．Because they often have very good weather |
| C．Because the weather is warm just like in spring |
| D．Because the sky is sunny all day |
From the story we know that when _________come, there is a heavy rain.
| A．sunshine and snow | B．black clouds |
| C．summer and winter | D．spring and autumn |
"People can also have summer in winter." Means "it is sometimes too ______in winter."
| A．warm | B．cool | C．cold | D．rainy |
In the sunny morning some English people usually take a raincoat or an umbrella with them because ________.
| A．their friends ask them to do so | B．it often rains in England |
| C．they are going to sell them | D．they are their favourite things |
The best title (标题)for this passage is ________.
| A．Bad Seasons | B．Summer or Winter |
| C．The Weather in England | D．Strange English People |
When I was young, I had an old neighbor named Dr. Gibbs. He didn’t look like any doctor I’d ever known. He never shouted at us for playing in his yard. I remembered him as a neighbor who was nicer than anyone else in the neighborhood.
When Dr. Gibbs was happy, he was planting trees. And his life’s goal was to make it a forest.
Dr. Gibbs had some interesting theories about planting. He talked about trees that weren’t watered would grow deep roots in search of water. So he never watered his trees. He planted an oak (橡树) and, instead of watering it every morning, he beat it with the rolled-up newspaper. I asked him why he did that, and he said it was to get the tree’s attention.
Dr. Gibbs died a couple of years. Every now and again, I walk by his house and look at the trees that he planted twenty-five years ago. They’re very strong now.
I planted a couple of trees a few years later. I watered them regularly and took good care of them. Whenever a cold wind blows, they shake their leaves and branches.
The funny thing about those trees of Dr. Gibbs was that difficulty seemed to help them in ways comfort and ease never could.What was Dr. Gibbs’ life goal?
| A．To build a forest. | B．To save more lives. |
| C．To make a lot of money. | D．To study plants. |
One of Dr. Gibbs’ theories about planting was that ______.
| A．he often talked to the trees | B．he kicked the trees heavily |
| C．he never watered the trees | D．he buried the leaves around the roots |
What does the writer mainly want to tell us?
| A．Trees are not as weak as we think. |
| B．We should listen to others’ advice. |
| C．Difficulty is necessary for growth. |
| D．Planting trees is good for the environment. |
Streit was an experienced safecracker who never used force —either against people or safes (保险箱). He was a real artist of his trade and it took him only 19 minutes to open the most difficult safe he had ever encountered. In about 10 years, helped by his brother Stefan and two friends, he took about $330,000 —from the safes of 28 banks in Austria. On his last job, early in 1999, he left the safe door open and $80,000 behind. With the money ws a note, "We don’t need all that much." A witness (目击者) recognized his car and Streit was caught by the police. Then he was sent to Austria’s Stein Prison to serve a six-year sentence. He boasted (吹嘘) at his trial that he would continue breaking the law, "I am a thief and I shall use every opportunity." Despite the warn-ing, prison officials moved Streit to the prison’s blacksmith (铁匠) shop. One day during the week before Christmas, Streit disappeared. Searchers found all his doors were well locked. Streit had managed to make a set of keys and let himself out. Not to freedom, though. After crossing into Bavaria, Streit attracted the suspicion (怀疑) of German customs police on purpose and got himself arrested. "I want to be in a German prison,"he explained to the surprised police. "As German courts give much milder (温和的) sentences for crimes like mine and will reduce the time I would otherwise have served in Stein Prison." In prison, Streit persuaded his keepers to let him make a Christmas Eve telephone call to his former keeper, Karl Schreiner of Stein Prison. "I’m sorry if I caused trouble. I didn’t want to embarrass anybody by escaping. Conditions weren’t that bad. In fact the food was better than it is here."The underlined word "safecracker" in the first paragraph means "_________".
| A．prisoner | B．criminal | C．stealer | D．Robber |
What’s the correct order of the following events?
a. Streit was caught by German customs police.b. Streit left a note in the bank.c. Streit was sent to Stein Prison.d. Streit worked in a blacksmith shop.e. Streit escaped from prison.
| A．d-b-a-c-e | B．b-a-c-d-e | C．b-c-d-e-a | D．d-b-c-e-a |
What helped Streit escape from prison?
| A．His living alone in prison. |
B．His good relations with the prison officials. |
C．His cooperation with other prisoners. |
D．His working in the blacksmith shop. |
Streit was finally caught because _______.
| A．his car was recognized by someone |
B．he left a note in the bank safe |
C．he was recognized by customs police |
D．he made a phone call to his former keeper |
Streit preferred to serve his time in Germany because _______.
| A．he hated working in the blacksmith shop in the Austrian prison |
B．the life of prisoners in Germany was better than those in Austria’s |
C．he wouldn’t have to stay that long in a German prison |
D．he could escape more easily from a German prison |