I have a special place in my heart for libraries．I have for as long as I can remember．I was always an enthusiastic reader，sometimes reading up to three books a day as a child．Stories were like air to me and while other kids played ball or went to parties，I lived out adventures through the books I checked out from the library．
My first job was working at the Ukiah Library when I was 16 years old． It was a dream job and I did everything from shelving books to reading to the children for story time．
As I grew older and became a mother， the library took on a new place and an added meaningin my life． I had several children and books were our main source （来源） of entertainment． It was a big deal for us to load up and go to the local library， where my kids could pick out books to read or books they wanted me to read to them．
I always read， using different voices， as though I were acting out the stories with my voice and they loved it! It was a special time to bond with my children and it filled them with the wonderment of books．
Now，I see my children taking their children to the library and I love that the excitement of going to the library lives on from generation to generation．
As a novelist， I've found a new relationship with libraries． I encourage readers to go to their local library when they can't afford to purchase a book． I see libraries as a safe haven （避风港）for readers and writers， a bridge that helps put together a reader with a book． Libraries， in their own way， help fight book piracy （盗版行为）and I think all writers should support libraries in a significant way when they can． Encourage readers to use the library． Share library announcements on your social media． Frequent them and talk about them when you can．
（1）Which word best describes the author's relationship with books as a child？
| A． | Cooperative． |
| B． | Uneasy． |
| C． | Inseparable． |
| D． | Casual． |
（2）What does the underlined phrase "an added meaning" in paragraph 3 refer to？
| A． | Pleasure from working in the library． |
| B． | Joy of reading passed on in the family． |
| C． | Wonderment from acting out the stories． |
| D． | A closer bond developed with the readers． |
（3）What does the author call on other writers to do？
| A． | Sponsor book fairs． |
| B． | Write for social media． |
| C． | Support libraries． |
| D． | Purchase her novels． |
（4）Which can be a suitable title for the text？
| A． | Reading： A Source of Knowledge |
| B． | My Idea about Writing |
| C． | Library： A Haven for the Young |
| D． | My Love of the Library |
London is the capital of the United Kingdom and the largest city in the European Union. It is the world’s largest finacial center and one of the most important cultural centers and its influence on politics, education, entertainment, media, fashion, and the arts contributes to its status as a major global city. Central London is the headquarters of more than half of the UK’s top 100 listed companies(the FTSE 100 ) and more than 100 of Europe’s 500 largest companies. The city is a major tourist destination for both domestic and overseas visitors. London hosted the 1908 and 1948 Summer Olympic Games and will host the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.
London contains four World Heritage Sites: the Tower of London, the historic settlement of Greenwich ;the Royal Botanic Garden, Kew; and the site comprising the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey and St.Margaret ‘s Church.
London currently has a wide range of peoples, cultures, and religions, and more than 300 languages are spoken within the city. On July 2007, it had an official population of 7,556, 900 within the boundaries of Greater London making it the most populous municipality in the European Union. Since the 2001 the Greater London Urban Area has been the second largest in the EU after Paris with a population of 8,278,251, and the metropolitan area is estimated to have a total population of between 12 million and 13 million, the largest population area in the EU. The public transport network, administered by Transport for London, is the most intensive in the world. Heathrow Airport is the busiest airport in the world by international passenger traffic and the air space is the busiest of any city in the world.Which statement is True ?
| A．Central London has 50 of the UK’s top 100 listed companies. |
| B．By the year of 2015, London will host the Summer Olympic Games. |
| C．Three are 300 languages spoken within the city. |
| D．The metropolitan area of Paris is the largest one in the EU. |
What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 want to express?
| A．London is a multicultural city. | B．London has a large population. |
| C．London has a lot of religions. | D．London has many languages. |
What does the underlined word“it “in the second sentence of Paragraph 3 refer to?
| A．The population | B．Urban area | C．Paris | D．London |
If you ask some people, “How did you learn English so well?” you may get a surprising answer: “In my sleep!”
These are people who have taken part in one of the recent experiments (实验) to test “the learn while you sleep” method (方法), which is now being tried in several countries, and with several subjects. English is among them.
Scientists say that this sleep study method greatly speeds language learning. They say that the ordinary person can learn two or three times as much during sleep as in the same period during the day—and this does not affect (影响) his rest in any way. However, sleep teaching will only put into your head what you have studied already while you are awake.
In one experiment, ten lessons were broadcast over the radio for two weeks. Each lesson lasted twelve hours — from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. The first three hours of English grammar and vocabulary (词汇) were given with the students awake. At 11 p.m. a lullaby (催眠曲) was broadcast to send the student to sleep and for the next three hours the radio in a soft and low voice broadcast the lesson again into his sleeping ears. At 2 a.m. a sharp noise was sent over the radio to wake the sleeping student up for a few minutes to go over the lesson. The soft music sent him back to rest again while the radio went on. At 5 o’clock his sleep ended and he had to go through the lesson again for three hours before breakfast.In the experiment, lessons were given____ .
| A．in the night time | B．after lullabies were broadcast |
| C．while the student was awake | D．all through the twelve hours |
Before each lesson finishes, the student has to____ .
| A．get up and take breakfast |
| B．be woken up by a loud voice |
| C．listen to the lesson again in sleep |
| D．review (复习) the lesson by himself |
The sleep study method is being tried in many countries to teach____ .
| A．the English language | B．grammar and vocabulary |
| C．a number of subjects | D．foreign languages |
From Monday until Friday most people are busy working or studying, but in the evenings and on weekends they are free to relax (放松) and enjoy themselves. Some watch TV or go to the movies; others take part in sports. It depends on individual interests. There are many different ways to spend our spare time.
Almost everyone has some kinds of hobbies. It may be anything from collecting stamps to making model airplanes. Some collections are very expensive, but others don’t cost anything at all. Some collections are worth a lot of money; others are valuable only to their owners.
I know a man who has a coin collection worth several thousand dollars. A short time ago he bought a rare (稀有的) fifty cent piece worth $250! He was very happy about his buying and thought the price was reasonable (合理的). On the other hand, my youngest brother collects matchboxes. He has almost 600 of them but I doubt (怀疑) if they are worth any money. However, to my brother they are very valuable. Nothing makes him happier than to find a new matchbox for his collection.
That’s what a hobby means, I guess. It is something we like to do in our spare time simply for the fun of it. The value in dollars is not important, but the pleasure it gives us is.The underlined word “individual” in the first paragraph most probably means____ .
| A．different | B．strange | C．secret | D．one's own |
In the writer's opinion, ____.
| A．all hobbies are very expensive | B．some hobbies don't cost anything |
| C．hobbies are worthless | D．hobbies are valuable to everybody |
Something that one enjoys doing in one's spare time is a____ .
| A．job | B．pleasure | C．hobby | D．habit |
Which of the following statements (陈述) is NOT true?
| A．The writer's brother has a large collection of matchboxes, which makes him very happy. |
| B．We collect a subject in our spare time simply for the fun of it. |
| C．The pleasure that a hobby can give is important. |
| D．To have a hobby means to spend a lot of money. |
Mr. Brown worked in a factory of a small town. He had been there for twenty years before one day he was sent to the capital for important business. He was quite excited because he had never been there before. Before he set off, he asked his wife and three daughters if they wanted him to buy something for them in London. Mrs. Brown began to think it over and then she said she wished her husband would be able to buy a nice umbrella for her, and so did their three daughters. As he was afraid he would forget it, he drew an umbrella on his hand. To his regret, he lost it at the station.
On the train Mr. Brown sat opposite to an old woman. The woman’s umbrella was so nice that he carefully looked at it and said to himself not to forget to buy a few umbrellas like it. When the train arrived at the station in London, he said good-bye to the old woman, took his bag and her umbrella and was going to get off.
“Wait a minute, sir,” shouted the old woman. “That’s my umbrella!”
Now Mr. Brown noticed that he had taken her umbrella. His face turned red at once and said in a hurry,“Oh, I’m very sorry, Madam! I didn’t mean it!”
Seven days later Mr. Brown left the capital. To his surprise, he met the old woman and sat opposite to her again. Looking at the four umbrellas, the old woman was satisfied with herself. “It seems that I had a better result than the other four women.” She thought.We can learn from the passage that Mr. Brown was ______.
| A．a conductor | B．a worker |
| C．a thief | D．an umbrella maker |
The underlined word “it” in the first paragraph refers to ______.
| A．his ticket | B．his bag |
| C．his drawing | D．his umbrella |
Why did Mr. Brown take the woman’s umbrella?
| A．Because he was lost in thought. |
| B．Because it was much like his own umbrella. |
| C．Because he thought the woman would not notice it. |
| D．Because the woman misplaced it beside Mr. Brown. |
When looking at Mr. Brown with four umbrellas, the woman felt ______.
| A．surprised | B．angry | C．fortunate | D．sad |
Can you remember the day when you spoke your first word? If you can, you are unusual. Try to imagine what first few months of your life were like. I am sure you just spent most of your time eating, sleeping and crying. As you grow older, you were awake more of the time. It took your parents more time to play with you and talk to you. You watched and listened curiously. You began to know that people made certain sounds to go with certain things.
Then you began to try making the sounds you heard. And step by step you were able to make the right sound for one thing.On that day you came to understand the secret of language. The secret is that a certain sound means a certain thing. One sound might be as good as another. But it is no good as a word unless everybody agrees on its meaning. Only when a group of people use the same set of sounds of things, can they understand each other. Then, and only then do these people have a LANGUAGE.
After you found the secret of language, you learned words. Some of the words meant things, such as BOOKS, CHAIRS and SHOES. Some words meant doing things, such as GO and SWIM. And other words describe things, such as GOOD and DIRTY. Soon you learned to put words together to express one’s idea, such as “I want to go out and play with my friends.” This is language. By means of language people can communicate. So we say languages are means of communication. When you were a little baby, you_________.
| A．made sounds to let people know that you wanted to eat |
| B．spent most of your time playing with your parents |
| C．could not hear any sound around you |
| D．spent most of your time eating, playing and crying |
The secret of language is that___________.
| A．one sound might be as good as another |
| B．people can understand each other |
| C．a certain sound is for a certain thing |
| D．there is a special sound for each person |
You could learn words__________.
| A．before you knew what the language was |
| B．after you knew what the language was |
| C．if you knew the secret of the language |
| D．when you were a baby |
The aim in using language is___________.
| A．to get everying one wants from others |
| B．to say what one wants to know |
| C．to share ideas, opinions, news, etc with one another |
| D．to make oneself understood by others |