Canada is one of the few nations in the world to have two official languages: English and French. There are 10 provinces in the country, but only one of these—Quebec is known as “French Canada”. This is because it was founded by French explorers while British adventurers discovered the rest.
Canada left the British Empire(帝国) in 1867 to become an independent country, and English and French have been recognized as the official languages ever since.
Most people speak English as their first language and the two national television networks broadcast in English throughout the country. Apart from in Quebec and a few places on the east coast, French television is rare.
The same goes for traffic signs and menus, for example, outside of Quebec, there are only a few places where you’ll see traffic signs in French. In restaurants, it’s almost impossible to find French on the menu unless you are in the heartland(中心地带) of French Canada. However, all products sold in Canada must, by law, have labels(标签) and instructions in both languages.
In Canada’s English-speaking provinces, official bilingualism means that students can choose to complete a special French language course. Under this program, they are taught most of their subjects in French. If a student begins the course in kindergarten(幼儿园) or Grade One, it is likely that all his lessons will be in French. But if he starts at junior high school, 25 percent of the teaching will continue to be in English.
1. Which country controlled Canada before its independence?| A．France. | B．America. | C．The British Empire. | D．Germany. |
| A．In Quebec and a few other places. | B．Only in Quebec. |
| C．From the two national television networks. | D．All over Canada. |
| A．外语教育 | B．双语教育 | C．母语教育 | D．语言教育 |
| A．Only English courses are offered. |
| B．Most of the courses in junior high schools are taught in English. |
| C．The courses in primary schools are all taught in English. |
| D．If you choose a special French language course in kindergarten, all of the lessons will be taught in French. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Americans often try to say things as quickly as possible. So, for some expressions, we use the first letters of the words instead of saving each word. Many common expressions or long names are shortened this way.
B-Y-O-B is a short way of saying, “Bring Your Own Bottle.” The letters BYOB are often found at the bottom of a written invitation to a simple social, event or gathering of friends. For example, let’s say I had a New Year’s Eve party. I might include on the invitation. “Please come to my party and BYOB.” The bottle each person brings is what the person wants to drink at the party or wants to share.
However, an invitation to a special event -such as a wedding-would never say BYOB. An invitation to an official or very special event often has other letters written at the bottom. The letters are R-S-V-P. These letters represent the French expression “Repondez S'il Vous Plait.” In English the words mean “Respond If It Pleases You.” Americans use the letters as a short way to say, “Please answer this invitation.”
Another expression usually used for business and not parties is A-S-A-P. So, a colleague might say she needs something done ASAP. It means as soon as possible. She might also need something done by C-O-B. That means she wants to finish it by “Close Of Business” or the end of the work day.
Beginning letters are often used to represent the names of universities. A famous one is MIT. That is short for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Another major university is UCLA. Almost no one ever says its real name, the University of California at Los Angeles. That takes way too long!
1. Why do Americans like using the first letters of the words?| A．They want to save time. | B．They think it interesting. |
| C．They like doing things differently. | D．They love creating new expressions. |
| A．B-Y-O-B. | B．B. R-S-V-P. | C．A-S-A-P. | D．C-O-B. |
| A．By analyzing causes. | B．By listing examples. |
| C．By following time order. | D．By making comparisons. |
| A．To describe the unpopularity of the formal language. |
| B．To explain the usage of some daily expressions. |
| C．To advise people to speak more simple English. |
| D．To introduce one of the Americans’ language habits. |
【推荐2】The word hobby has an interesting history, and so does the concept of the hobby itself. Cultural attitudes have changed greatly about which ones are worth pursuing, and indeed whether having a hobby is desirable at all.
It is probably safe to say that when hobby was first used in the 15th century, most people didn’t have one, as it referred to a particular kind of horse. A hobby was a small horse that could walk leisurely, a particularly smooth, quick gait (步态) that was prized for long rides over terrible roads. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word is a shortened form of Hobbin, the name for a cart-horse, like Rover for a dog.
The hobby also had a part in medieval folk celebrations. Mummers and Morris dancers often included a person or two dressed up in horse costume, or pretending to ride a wooden stick with a horse’s head. Such hobbyhorses made popular children’s toys, too. Since hobbyhorses were the area of young children and pantomime (哑剧) actors, “riding one’s hobby-horse” or being “on one’s hobby” became an idiom for enthusiastically pursuing an idea or activity that looks silly to others.
Hobbies were considered slightly embarrassing, though mostly harmless, through the 18th century. In the 19th century, though, they grew more socially acceptable as middle-class leisure time increased. It became necessary for both men and women to pursue activities that would have seemed strange a century before.
In the early 20th century, hobbies came to be seen as a way to fill life with meaning and dignity. With a hobby, people could choose their own goals and progress towards them.
1. What did “hobby” refer to when originally used?| A．A special type of dog. |
| B．A smooth and quick gait. |
| C．A particular kind of horse. |
| D．A long ride over terrible roads. |
| A．In the 15th century. |
| B．In the 19th century. |
| C．In the late 20th century. |
| D．Through the 18th century. |
| A．By giving examples. |
| B．By following the order of time. |
| C．By following the order of space. |
| D．By analyzing cause and effect. |
| A．People. |
| B．Culture. |
| C．Travel. |
| D．Business. |
【推荐3】HSK TEST and HSKK TEST are both the internationally standardized tests that focus on the ability of candidates whose Chinese is not their first language to use Chinese for communication in life, study and work.
According to China’s Ministry of Education, any foreign students to be enrolled in Chinese university should at least hold a HSK Level 4 certificate.
Learners who want to apply for the Confucius Institute Scholarships should take the score reports of both HSK and HSKK.
All test takers taking HSK abroad are eligible (合格) to apply for the Chinese Test Summer Camp to experience Chinese culture and learn Chinese in a short period in China.
HSK and HSKK scores are valid for a long time. As a proof of the Chinese language ability of foreign students entering Chinese colleges and universities, the scores are valid for two years (counting from the day of the test).
HSK TEST
Test levels include HSK (Level 1), HSK (Level 2), HSK (Level 3), HSK (Level 4). HSK (Level 5) and HSK (Level 6).
Exam Object: HSK (Level 4) is mainly for candidates who have learned Chinese for four semesters (two academic years) with a schedule of 2-4 class hours per week and mastered 1, 200 commonly used words.
HSKK TEST
HSKK Test is designed to test the ability to express oneself orally in Chinese and includes the HSKK (Elementary), HSKK (Intermediate) and HSKK (Advanced).
Exam Object: HSKK (Intermediate) is mainly for candidates who have leaned Chinese for one to two academic years at a schedule of 2-3 class hours per week and master about 900 of the most commonly used words.
1. What is required for a foreigner to get into a Chinese college?| A．To pass Level 4 of HSK. | B．To score above average in HSKK. |
| C．To speak Chinese as their mother tongue. | D．To take part in Chinese Test Summer Camp. |
| A．3. | B．4. | C．5. | D．6. |
| A．In Chinese art galleries. | B．On inter-city subways. |
| C．In elementary schoolbooks. | D．On overseas study websites. |
【推荐1】The Renaissance(文艺复兴)is generally considered to have started in Florence, Italy around the years 1350 to 1400. The start of the Renaissance also was the end of the Middle Ages.
Humanism
In the Middle Ages people thought that life was nothing but hard work and war. However, around the 1300s, the people in Florence , Italy started to think that people should be educated and that things like art, music, and science could make life better for everyone.
Florence, Italy
At the start of the Renaissance, Italy was divided up into a number of powerful city-states. One of the major city-states was Florence.
In the late 1300s, Florence had become a rich city. Wealthy businessmen had the money to hire artisans (工匠). This inspired competitions among artists and thinkers. Art began to flourish (繁荣)and new thoughts began to appear.
Petrarch and Humanism
Francesco Petrarch is often called the “Father of Humanism”. He studied poets and philosophers from Ancient Rome such as Cicero and Virgil. His ideas and poetry became an inspiration to many writers and poets throughout all of Europe as the Renaissance spread.
Giotto di Bondone
Giotto was a painter in Florence, Italy. He was the first painter to break away from the standard Byzantine style painting of the Middle Ages and try something new. Giotto is said to have started the Renaissance in art with his new style of realistic painting.
Dante
Another major contributor to the start of the Renaissance was Dante Alighieri. He lived in Florence and wrote the Divine Comedy in the early 1300s. This book is considered to be the greatest literary work ever written in the Italian language.
New Ideas Spread
This new way of thinking and style of art quickly spread to other wealthy Italian city-states. This early part of the Renaissance is often called the Italian Renaissance. Italy would become wealthy through trade and their new ideas soon spread throughout all of Europe.
1. In the Middle Ages people thought that _________ .| A．life was really hard |
| B．life could be enjoyable |
| C．they could be educated |
| D．they should live differently |
| A．Francesco Petrarch |
| B．Giotto di Bondone |
| C．Dante Alighieri |
| D．Cicero |
| A．What does the Renaissance mean ? |
| B．How did the Renaissance begin? |
| C．The artists in the Renaissance |
| D．Literature in the Renaissance |
| A．a book review |
| B．a history paper |
| C．a newspaper advertisement |
| D．a travel magazine |
【推荐2】If you ask people to name the one person who had the greatest effect on the English language, you will get answers like “Shakespeare”, “Samuel Johnson” and “Webster”, but none of these men had any effect at all compared to a man who didn’t even speak English—William the Conquer.
Before 1066, in the land we now call Great Britain lived people belonging to two major language groups. In the west-central region lived the Welsh, who spoke a Celtic language, and in the north lived the Scots, whose language, though not the same as Welsh, was also Celtic. In the rest of the country lived the Saxons, actually a mixture of Anglos, Saxons, and Germanic and Nordic peoples, who spoke what we now call Anglo-Saxon(of Old English), a Germanic language. If this state of affairs had lasted, English today would be close to German.
But this state of affairs did not last. In 1066 the Normans led by William defeated the Saxons and began their rule over England. For about a century, French became the official language of England while Old English became the language of peasants. As a result, English words of politics and the law come from French rather than German. In some cases, modern English even shows a distinction(区别) between upper-class French and lower-class Anglo-Saxon in its words. We even have different words for some foods, meat in particular, depending on whether it is still out in the fields or at home ready to be cooked, which shows the fact that the Saxon peasants were doing the farming-while the upper-class Normans were doing most of the eating.
When Americans visit Europe for the first time, they usually find German more “foreign” than French because the German they use on signs and advertisements seems much more different from English than French does. Few realize that the English language is actually Germanic in its beginning and that the French influences are all the result of one man’s ambition.
1. What is the subject in the text?| A．The similarity between English and French. |
| B．The rule of England by William the Conquer. |
| C．The French influences on the English language. |
| D．The history of Great Britain. |
| A．Celtic and Old English | B．Welsh and Scottish |
| C．Anglo-Saxon and Germanic | D．Nordic and Germanic |
| A．folk, field, law | B．president, lawyer, beef |
| C．president, bread, water | D．bread, field, sheep |
| A．They know French better than German. |
| B．Most advertisements in France appear in English. |
| C．Many French words are similar to English ones. |
| D．They know little of the history of the English language. |
【推荐3】People need to relax and enjoy themselves. One way they can have a good time is to watch a baseball game or another sports event. Even thousands of years ago, groups of people gathered to watch skilled athletes.
Over 2,000 years ago in Greece, certain days in the year were festival days. These were holidays when people stopped work and enjoyed themselves. They liked to watch athletes take part in races and other games of skill.
The most important festival was held every four years at the town of Olympia. It was held in honour of the Greek god Zeus. For five days, athletes from all parts of the Greek world took part in the Olympic Games. At the Olympic Games, people could watch them box, run, jump and so on. There was a relay race between two teams of men in which a lighted torch (火炬) was passed from runner to runner. The Olympic Games were thought to be so important that cities which were at war with one another had to stop fighting. People were allowed to travel to the games freely. Thousands of people came to Olympia from cities in Greece and from its colonies (殖民地) in Africa, Asia and Italy. They met as friends to cheer their favourite athletes and to enjoy themselves.
1. What happened in Greece over 2,000 years ago?| A．People stopped work and enjoyed themselves. |
| B．The cities there were often against one another. |
| C．People watched baseball games. |
| D．People didn’t go to any games at all. |
| A．They fought. |
| B．They just talked to friends. |
| C．They cheered for good athletes. |
| D．They tried to find friends. |
| A．were weak |
| B．were strong |
| C．couldn’t go to other cities freely |
| D．could see each other |
【推荐1】The Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition is an annual showcase of the best nature photography.This year,it attracted 49,000 entries. Here are some of the winners and the stories behind the striking images.
“The embrace”by Sergey Gorshkov (Russia).
It shows a Siberian tiger hugging a tree. It took the photographer 11 months to capture, using hidden cameras. Hunted almost to extinction,the population is still threatened by poaching (偷猎). Through the picture, we are reminded of the beauty of the natural world and our shared responsibility to protect it.
“When mother says run”by Shanyuan Li (China).
This is a rare picture of a family of manuls (兔狲),the result of six years’ work at high altitude.
After long-term observation，Li tracked the family.Hours of patience were rewarded when the three kittens came out to play while their mother kept her eyes on a Tibetan fox hiding nearby.
“Show business”by Kirsten Luce(USA).
Luce has been reporting on animal abuse，but says it's the most shocking scene she has photographed. It shows a muzzled(戴口套的) polar bear performing in the Circusn on Ice，reportedly the only known circus to use the animals.The polar bear was captured when she was two years old and she’s still performing 18 years later．
1. What can we know about the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition?| A．It is held every two years． |
| B．It focuses on the natural disasters |
| C．A lot of people participated in it this year. |
| D．It aims to teach people how to take photographs. |
| A．Attacking a Tibetan fox nearby. |
| B．Tracking her family from a hiding place. |
| C．Protecting the kittens from potential danger. |
| D．Rewarding the kittens’ patience with food. |
| A．They’re about animal abuse. |
| B．It took a long time to shoot them. |
| C．The photographers are from the same country. |
| D．They aim to arouse people’s awareness to protect animals. |
【推荐2】What do you think of your Chinese? If you think your Chinese is good enough, you can take part in the competition named Chinese Characters Dictation Competition (中国汉字听写大会).
Today teenagers are using more and more smart phones. They spend too much time in shopping, chatting, playing games and so on. Many of them cannot stop using smart phones to help with their study. Overuse of smart phones will make students too lazy to think and write. Some of them even forget how to write Chinese characters by hand. Teachers and parents are very worried about it.
In order to draw people’s attention to the problems above, in 2013 CCTV held the first Chinese Characters Dictation Competition. About 200 students from 32 teams took part in it. They stood on the stage to write down Chinese characters by dictation. Lu Jialei, a 14-year-old girl from Zhejiang, got first place.
Since then, the competition has been popular among teenagers. Many people are interested in this kind of competition, too. They like to write down the characters while the competitors(参赛者) are writing them.
Can you be the next winner?
1. The underlined word “overuse” in Paragraph 2 probably means ________.| A．eating too much | B．walking too much |
| C．using too much | D．singing too much |
| A．About 400. | B．About 300. | C．About 200. | D．About100. |
| A．Lu Jialei, a girl from Zhejiang. | B．Lu Jialei, a girl from Guangxi. |
| C．Liao Yilin, a girl from Zhejiang. | D．Liao Yilin, a girl from Guangxi. |
| A．Chinese Dancing Competition |
| B．Chinese Children Reading Competition |
| C．Chinese Teachers Writing Competition |
| D．Chinese Characters Dictation Competition |
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BACK OR LEG PAIN?
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1. Which is the function of Pain Relieving Foot Cream?| A．Repairing damaged skin | B．Relieving stiffness in feet. |
| C．Preventing strong foot pain. | D．Curing pain in lower body . |
| A．They are sold at the same places. | B．They have satisfaction guarantees . |
| C．They have no known side effects. | D．They offer a better deal when ordered three. |
| A．A study. | B．A direction |
| C．An advertisement. | D．A notice. |
