【推荐1】阅读理解

English is fast becoming the language of science around the world, but what is its future among everyday speakers? One expert points out that the percentage(比率) of native English speakers is declining (降低) while the languages of other rapidly growing regions are being spoken by increasing numbers of people. But English will continue to remain widespread and important.

However, British language scholar David Graddol says English will probably drop in dominance(主导) by the middle of this century to rank after Chinese, about equally with Arabic, Hindi, and Urdu. “The number of people speaking English as a first language continues to rise, but it isn’t rising nearly as fast as the numbers of many other languages around the world, simply because the main population group has been largely in the less developed countries where languages other than English have been spoken,” he says.

In a recent article in the journal Science, Mr. Graddol noted that three languages that are not near the top of the list of the most widely spoken now might be there soon. These are Bengali, Tamil, and Malay, spoken in south and southeast Asia.

David Crystal, the author of the Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language, says about 1.5 billion of the world’s six billion people speak it as a second language compared to the 400 million native speakers. But another expert on the English language says Mr. Graddol underestimates (低估) the future of its dominance. “Nobody quite knows what’s going to happen because no language has been in this position before. But all the evidence (证据) suggests that the English language snowball is rolling down a hill and is getting faster” he said.

1. In David Graddol’ s opinion, English will _______.

A．remain widespread and important

B．be more important than any other language

C．lose its dominant position

D．die away in the near future

2. The underlined sentence in the last paragraph implies that ______.

A．more and more language users will choose English

B．the English language snowball is rolling down faster than any time in the past

C．English language will soon drop in dominance

D．snowballs will roll down faster than language balls

3. How many experts does the passage mention who express their ideas about the future of   English?

A．2.

B．3.

C．4.

D．5.

4. What should be the best title for the passage?

A．English Remaining in the Dominant Position

B．The Future of English? Who Knows?

C．Opinions from Different Experts

D．The English Language Snowball Rolling Down

【推荐2】The Queen’s English is now sounding less upper-class, a scientific study of the Queen’s Christmas broadcasts had found. Researchers have studied each of her messages to the Commonwealth countries since 1952 to find out the change in her pronunciation from the noble Upper Received to the Standard Received.
Jonathan Harrington, a professor at Germany’s University of Munich, wanted to discover whether accent (口音) changers recorded over the past half century would take place within one person. “As far as I know, there just is nobody else for whom there is this sort of broadcast records,” he said.
He said the noble way of pronouncing vowels (元音) had gradually lost ground as the noble upper-class accent over the past years. “Her accent sounds slightly less noble than it did 50 years ago. But these are very, very small and slow changes that we don’t notice from year to year.”
“We may be able to relate it to changes in the social classes,” he told The Daily Telegraph, a British newspaper. “In 1952 she would have been hears saying ‘thet men in the bleck het’. Now it would be ‘that man in the black hat’. And ‘hame’ rather than ‘home’. In the 1950s she would have been ‘lorst’, but by the 1970s ‘lost’.”
The Queen’s broadcast is a personal message to the Commonwealth countries. Each Christmas, the 10-minute broadcast is put on TV at 3 pm in Britain as many families are recovering from their traditional turkey lunch. (传统火鸡午餐).
The results were published (发表) in the Journal of Phonetics.
1. The Queen’s broadcasts were chosen for the study mainly because ______.

A．she has been Queen for many years	B．she has a less upper-class accent now
C．her speeches are familiar to many people	D．her speeches have been recorded for 50 years

2. Which of the following is an example of a less noble accent in English?

A．“duaty”

B．“citee”

C．“hame”

D．“lorst”

3. We may infer from the text that the Journal of Phonetics is a magazine on _______.

A．speech sounds

B．Christmas customs

C．TV broadcasting

D．personal messages

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．The relationship between accents and social classes.

B．The Queen’s Christmas speeches on TV.

C．The changes in a person’s accent.

D．The recent development of the English language.

【推荐3】Americans use many expressions with the word dog. People in the United States love their dogs and treat them well. They take their dogs for walks, let them play outside and give them good food and medical care. However, dogs without owners to care for them lead a different kind of life. The expression, to lead a dog’s life, describes a person who has an unhappy life.

Some people say we live in a dog-eat-dog world. That means many people are competing for the same things, like good jobs. They say that to be successful, a person has to work like a dog. This means they have to work very, very hard. Such hard work can make people dog-tired. And, the situation would be even worse if they became sick as a dog.

Still, people say every dog has its day. This means that every person enjoys a successful period during his or her life. To be successful, people often have to learn new skills. Yet, some people say that you can never teach an old dog new tricks. They believe that older people do not like to learn new things and will not change the way they do things.

Husbands and wives use doghouse when they are angry at each other. For example, a woman might get angry at her husband for forgetting their wedding anniversary (周年纪念). She might tell him that he is in the doghouse and treats him badly. However, the husband may decide that it is best to leave things alone and not create more problems. He might decide to let sleeping dogs lie.

Dog expressions also are used to describe the weather. The dog days of summer are the hottest days of the year. A rainstorm may cool the weather. But we do not want it to rain too hard. We do not want it to rain cats and dogs.

1. If a man comes home late, his wife might say angrily, “______________”.

A．it will rain cats and dogs	B．every dog has its day
C．you lead a dog’s life	D．you are in the doghouse

2. “Leave things untouched” has the same meaning as “____________”.

A．become a sick dog	B．teach an old dog new tricks
C．let sleeping dogs lie	D．make people dog-tired

3. What does the text mainly talk about?

A．Expressions in American culture.	B．Some expressions with the word dog.
C．A good way to learn English well.	D．Dogs’ influence on American culture.

【推荐1】The International Day of Disabled Persons, an international observance declared by the United Nations since 1992, is observed on December 3, aiming to promote an understanding of disability issues and get support for the rights of people with disabilities. The day takes place annually and focuses on a different issue each year. In South Africa, December 3 also marks the beginning of the Disability Awareness Month.

Since the first celebration, people with disabilities have gained recognition of their rights by states across the globe and of their rightful place in society. But there is still much work ahead of us to turn those legal rights into a true revolution, in which diversity is fully accepted and lived.

The estimated one billion people living with disabilities worldwide face many obstructions of inclusion in many key aspects of society. As a result, people with disabilities can't enjoy the equal rights as normal people, which include employment, education as well as social and political participation. The right to participate in public life is essential to create stable democracies , active citizenship and reduce inequalities in society.

In many cases, people with disabilities must be able to fulfill their role in society. It is important to focus on the ability and not on the disability of an individual. It is important to note that disability is part of the human condition, and that all of us either are or will become disabled to one degree or another during the course of our lives.

By promoting empowerment , real opportunities for disabled people are created. This supports them in setting their own priorities. Empowerment involves investing in them — in jobs, health, nutrition, education, and social protection. When disabled people are empowered, they are better prepared to take advantage of opportunities, and they can more readily accept their civic responsibilities.

1. What is the International Day of Disabled Persons meant for?

A．To raise money for the disabled.

B．To stress the value of the disabled.

C．To make an international celebration.

D．To make able­bodied people care about the disabled.

2. What does the underlined word “obstructions” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．Chances.	B．Types.
C．Barriers	D．Regrets.

3. What is the main problem for disabled people?

A．The number of them is too large.

B．They can't be fully accepted by society.

C．Few of them seek legal rights.

D．They think poorly of their role in society.

【推荐2】What will you do if you can’t eat everything bought in the canteen?     1     According to a survey, what students waste every year could feed over 10 million people.

    2     According to Xinhua News Agency, the food wasted by Chinese people is about 50 million tons of grain every year, which could feed 200 million people.

Food waste, which has become a global issue, serves as a mirror that reflects various cultural and social issues in different countries. In the West, for instance, consumerism, the belief that it’s a good thing to use a lot of goods and services, is often to blame for food waste.     3     Chinese people are well known for being hospitable and generous. Many even feel that they lose face if their guests have eaten all the food. On campus, a generation of single children is less aware of the food waste issue. Students nowadays are well protected by their families and hardly have any concept of how much toil (辛劳) others go through in order to provide them with the food they eat.

    4     There are over 925 million hungry people in the world, most of whom live in underdeveloped countries and areas. They don’t have enough food to eat. Many children die for lack of nutrition each year in some African countries. And farmers work very hard to grow the crops.     5     It’s also important that everyone should think about how they can do their bit to reduce food waste.

A．Most of us would simply throw away any leftover food.

B．Students’ waste is extremely serious.

C．China features its own eating culture.

D．Compared with them, some live in a different world.

E．But canteen waste is merely the tip of the iceberg.

F．So there’s no excuse that we should waste our food.

G．Students can never realize the serious food crisis.

【推荐3】President Coolidge’s statement, “The business of America is business,” still points to an important truth today-that business institutions have more prestige（威望） in American society than any other kind of organization,including the government.

Why do business institutions possess this great prestige?

One reason is that Americans view business as being more firmly based on the ideal of competition than other institutions in society.Since competition is seen as the. major source of progress and prosperity by most Americans, competitive business institutions are respected.Competition is not only good in itself. it is the means (by) which other basic American value such as individual freedom,equality of opportunity and hard work are protected.

Competition protects the freedom of the individual ensuring that there is no monopoly（垄断）of power. In contrast to one all-powerful government，many businesses compete against each other for profits Theoretically, if one business tries to. take unfair advantage of its customers, it will lose to competing business which treats its customers more fairly. Where many businesses compete for the customers’ dollars, they cannot afford to treat them like inferiors or slaves.

A contrast often made between business,which is competitive,and government, which is a monopoly, Because business is competitive,many Americans believe that it is more supportive of freedom than government, even though government leaders are elected by the people and business leaders are not. Many Americans believe,then,that competition is as important, or even more important, than democracy（民主）in preserving freedom.

Competition in business is also believed to strengthen the ideal of equality of opportunity. Competition is seen as an open and fair race where success goes to the swiftest person regardless of his or her social class background. Business is therefore viewed as an expression of the idea of equality of opportunity rather than the aristocratic(贵族的)ideal of inherited privilege.

1. The statement “The business of America is business” probably means ________.

A．America is a great power in world business

B．Business is of primary concern to Americans

C．The business institutions in America are concerned with commerce

D．Business problems are of great importance to the American government

2. Americans believe that they can realize their personal values only ________.

A．by protecting their individual freedom	B．when given equality of opportunity
C．by way of competition	D．through doing business

3. Who can benefit from business competition?

A．People with ideals of equality and freedom.	B．Both business institutions and government.
C．Honest business	D．Both businessmen and their customers.

4. It can be inferred from countries that the author believes ________.

A．in many countries success often depends on one’s social status

B．businesses in other countries are not as competitive as those in America

C．American businesses are more democratic than those in other countries

D．Americans are more ambitious than people in other countries

【推荐1】Although English is not as old as Chinese, it is spoken by many people around the world every day. English speakers are always creating new words, and we are often able to know where most words come from.

Sometimes, however, no one may really know where a word comes from. Did you ever think about why hamburgers are called hamburgers, especially when they are not made with ham? About a hundred years ago, some men went to America from Europe. They came from a big city in Germany called Hamburger. They did not speak good English, but they ate good food. When some Americans saw them eating round pieces of beef, they asked the Germans what it was. The Germans did not understand the question and answered. “We came from Hamburger.” One of these Americans owned a restaurant, and had an idea. He cooked some round pieces of beef like those which the men from Hamburger ate. Then he put each between two pieces of bread and started selling them. Such bread came to be called “ hamburgers”. Today “hamburgers” are sold in many countries around the world.

Whether this story is true or not, it is certainly is interesting. Knowing why any word has a certain meaning is interesting, too. The reason, for most English words, can be found in any large English dictionary.

1. According to the writer, English is     .

A．as old as Chinese	B．older than German
C．not so old as Chinese	D．very difficult to learn

2. Hamburg is     .

A．a kind of food	B．a round piece of beef
C．the name of a village	D．a city in Germany

3. We know from the story that     .

A．few Americans like hamburgers

B．hamburgers were made by Germans

C．hamburgers are made with ham

D．hamburgers were sold all over the world about a century ago

4. Which of the following can often be found in any large English dictionary based on para. 3?

A．Where all the words come from

B．Where those Germans came from

C．The reason why a word has a certain meaning.

D．The reason why English is spoken around the world

5. According to the story, the word “hamburger” comes from     .

A．China because it has a long history

B．England because Germans don’t speak good English

C．the round pieces of beef which those people from Hamburger were eating

D．the city of Hamburger in Germany

【推荐2】Steel Vengeance, a world-record-breaking hybrid roller coaster, recently made its first public appearance at Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, Ohio.

The ride is constructed from both wood and steel (钢). A steel running track on a huge wooden base allows the ride to provide the types of twists (扭转) and turns that are not possible on wooden roller coasters.

Steel Vengeance breaks ten world records, including tallest, fastest, and longest hybrid roller coaster. “It is just a roller coaster that you want to ride again and again,” said Tony Clark, director of communications at Cedar Point. The 90-degree, 200-foot drop on the first hill takes your breath away.

At a recent event at Cedar Point, I experienced the excitement of the new ride first-hand. Thanks to my strong heart, I had a really cool time!

THE MAKING OF VENGEANCE

“The biggest part of making a roller coaster is planning it,” Clark said.

Jason McClure, general manager of Cedar Point, added: “We have to get a main idea of the basics of the coaster and then plan a budget.”

WOOD, STEEL, AND HARD WORK

Rocky Mountain Construction designed and built Steel Vengeance. About 1.2 million pounds of steel and 1.4 million boards of wood were used to build the ride.

Fred Grubb, co-founder of Rocky Mountain, noted that “people who design roller coasters for my company have to have first-hand experience building things with their hands, not just hold an engineering degree. When you have built things for yourself, you get it, and understand what will work.”

Clark was pleased with the results. “We at Cedar Point are so happy with how Steel Vengeance turned out,” he said.

McClure added: “What we put into this roller coaster was wood, steel, and a lot of hard work.”

1. What can we learn about Steel Vengeance?

A．It is going through tests.

B．It belongs to Rocky Mountain.

C．It is made from both steel and wood.

D．It was mainly designed by Fred Grubb.

2. What advantage does Steel Vengeance have over wooden roller coasters?

A．It will last longer.

B．It cost less money.

C．It took less time to build.

D．It offers more kinds of twists.

3. How did the author feel on Steel Vengeance?

A．Worried.

B．Excited.

C．Frightened.

D．Shocked.

4. People who design roller coasters for Rocky Mountain must _____.

A．hold an arts degree

B．be roller coaster lovers

C．be skillful at wood work

D．have built things themselves

【推荐3】At the beginning of the 20th century there was a big farm called Hollywood Ranch. It was near Los Angeles in California. A few years later Hollywood was one of the famous places in the world. From the 1910s to the 1950s Hollywood was the film center of the world. Every family knew the names of its film stars—Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo, Ingrid Bergman and hundreds more.

The reason why people went to Hollywood to make films was the sun. At first，people made films in New York on the east coast of the United States. But then they heard about Los Angeles where there are 350 days of sun every year. As they made all the films by sunlight，the west coast was a much better place to make films. Also near Hollywood you can find mountains，sea and desert. They did not have to travel far to make any kind of film.

When TV became popular, Hollywood started making films for television. Then in the 1970s they discovered people still went to the cinema to see big expensive films. After about thirty years they are still making films in Hollywood and people watch them all over the world.

1. Hollywood used to be a __________.

A．cinema

B．big farm

C．park

D．market

2. In the 1910s Hollywood became a __________.

A．famous theater	B．good place to have holidays
C．film center	D．home for stars

3. Who was not mentioned as a film star in the passage?

A．Charlie Chaplin.	B．Marilyn Monroe.
C．Ingrid Bergman.	D．Greta Garbo.

4. People went to Hollywood to make films because __________.

A．it was a beautiful place	B．you could find many film stars
C．there was a lot of sunlight	D．it was a famous place

5. Which statement is true?

A．The west coast was a better place to make films.

B．There are no mountains near Hollywood.

C．People no longer went to the cinema after television became popular.

D．Hollywood began to make films for television after the World War I.