【推荐1】There are many differences between British English and American English. I used to teach a course about the differences between the two. We speak English on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean but we have many differences in our common language. We have examples of the same words having very different meanings, differing spellings of the same words as well as completely different words for the same things. Here are some examples.

A cookie in the US is called a biscuit in the UK. A biscuit in the US is a small cake in the   UK. Crisps in the UK, are known as chips, but we British people eat a plate of chips that you call fries in the US. In the UK, a pie can be made from either meat or fruit, while in the US pies are normally made from fruit; pot pies are made from meat. Most things are measured in grams and kilograms in the US, not pounds and ounces.

One very obvious difference is the side of the road we each choose to drive on. Petrol in the UK is gas in the US. The place where we fill up our cars, in the UK, is a garage; while in the US, it’s a gas station. The term garage is also used as a place to store your car next to or close by your house. In the UK we call a lorry what is known as a truck in the US.

An elevator in the US is called a lift here, and the first floor in the US, is called the ground floor here, so many visitors get off on the wrong floor in British hotels.

I could continue with this. There are countless examples of differences within our one   shared language. With so many differences, no wonder it’s hard to understand each other well.

1. The passage is mainly about the differences between British English and American English in____.

A．vocabulary	B．grammar
C．sound	D．spelling

2. It’s implied in the passage that the author may be______.

A．a driver from the US.

B．a cook from the US.

C．a teacher from the UK.

D．a gas station worker from the UK.

3. What can we learn from the passage?

A．“Elevator” is commonly used in the UK.

B．Pies mean the same thing in the UK and the US.

C．In the UK, things are measured in pounds and ounces.

D．British and American people drive on the same side of the road.

【推荐2】I came across quite a few language problems while spending holiday with my family last summer. The most embarrassing was when my Mom apologized to the people we were staying with because her “pants were dirty”. They looked at her in surprise, not knowing how to react. You see, Mom had fallen over and gotten mud on her jeans. But in Britain, “pants” means underpants or knickers (内裤；衬裤), not trousers as it does back home.

Katie — From America

I went to stay with a friend on the west coast last summer. Her flat was on the first floor of a high-rise building so I got the lift up. Then I wandered round for ages looking for her flat but couldn’t find it. Fed up and tired, I finally had to go out to find a phone box. She explained that her flat was on the first floor, which for me meant the ground floor.

David — From Britain

When I asked for the “restroom” in a big department store, people kept directing me to a room with seats where I could sit and “rest”. It took me years to get through to (使……明白) someone that I only wanted the toilet!

Tom — From America

1. Hearing Katie’s mother’s words, Katie’s friends were in surprise because ________.

A．Katie’s mother got mud on her jeans

B．Katie’s mother’s underpants were dirty

C．they mistook pants for underpants

D．they didn’t understand British English

2. David went out to find a phone box to ________.

A．phone the police for help	B．phone his friend for help
C．tell his friend he couldn’t visit her	D．apologize for his being late

3. When Tom asked for the “restroom”, the people around him thought ________.

A．he wanted to have a rest

B．he wanted to go to the toilet

C．he wanted to go to bed

D．He wanted to go to a department store

4. Which of the following words is from Britain English?

A．Pants.

B．Ground floor.

C．Restroom.

D．Apartment.

【推荐3】How men first learnt to invent words is unknown; in other words, the origin of language is a mystery. All we have really known is that men, unlike animals, somehow invented certain sounds to express thoughts and feelings, actions, and things, so that they could communicate with each other; and that later they agreed upon certain signs, called letters, which could be combined to represent those sounds, and which could be written down. These sounds, whether spoken or written in letters, are called words.

The power of words, then, lies in their associations—the things they bring up in our minds. Words become filled with meaning for us by experience; and the longer we live, the more certain words recall to us the glad and sad events of our past; and the more we read and learn, the more the number of words that mean something to us increases.   

Great writers are those who not only have great thoughts but also express these thoughts in words which appeal powerfully to our minds and emotions. This charming and telling use of words is what we call literary style. Above all, the real poet is a master of words. He can convey his meaning in words which sing like music, and which by their position and association can move men to tears. We should therefore learn to choose our words carefully and use them accurately, or they will make our speech silly and vulgar(粗俗的).

1. According to the author of the passage, ________.

A．men, as well as animals, invented certain sounds to express thoughts

B．words did not have written form at first

C．the origin language is a difficult question

D．words came from sounds

2. The power of words lies in the fact that ________.

A．it can associate the things in the world with the ideas in our minds

B．one word is connected with another

C．it can associate one person with another

D．it can recall to us the events of our past

3. In order not to make our speech silly and vulgar, we should ________.

A．choose words with care and accuracy

B．use words that can move men to tears

C．use words which sing like music

D．become a master of words

4. The best title for this passage would be ________.

A．The meaning of words

B．The nature of words

C．The invention of words

D．The power of words

【推荐1】Moving to a foreign country is an amazing, life-changing experience. It’s an opportunity to meet new people, make yourself completely involved in a different culture and possibly learn another language. However, before embarking on such an adventure, there are some practical decisions that need to be made. One such decision is choosing where to live.

For me, choosing to live with a French family was the best choice I made, and here are the reasons.

Firstly, a family can show you around the city or town and help you settle in, stopping you from feeling lonely. When you’re in new surroundings with people you don’t know and who are speaking a language you’re still not fluent in, you might feel lost, tired and homesick—I know I did. However, my host family are wonderful and welcoming; they showed me which buses to take to get to work, cooked dinner for me, and took me with them on trips to the beach, the theatre and even a bullring. These were great opportunities to experience French culture and build relationships, which in turn helped me feel at home and welcome.

Moreover, living with French people has been beneficial to helping me improve my language skills. Being constantly exposed to authentic French conversation has allowed me to learn new phrases, widen my vocabulary and even improve my accent. My host family are happy to answer my questions and correct me when I say things wrong, which makes me a better and more confident French speaker.

Finally, the experience of living abroad is one that you will remember forever, and perhaps the friendships—like the memories—will also last. Your host family might become your friends for life. You might return for their birthdays, weddings, holidays, and many more things. I sincerely hope to remain in contact with my host family long after I leave France because when I was away from my friends and loved ones, they welcomed me and made me part of their family.

1. What does the underlined phrase “embarking on” in Paragraph 1 refer to?

A．Remarking on.	B．Setting about.
C．Depending on	D．Writing down.

2. Where did the writer choose to live when moving to a foreign country?

A．In a dormitory.	B．In his own apartment.
C．In a host family.	D．In his friend’s house.

3. What is the advantage of living with French people for the writer?

A．Improving his French skills.

B．Feeling homesick and lonely.

C．Making friends from different countries.

D．Introducing English culture to the French.

4. How does the writer develop the passage?

A．By making comparisons.

B．By following the order of time.

C．By following the order of importance.

D．By listing detailed reasons.

【推荐3】People have known for a long time that plants can hear, see, smell and communicate with each other. Now, they have been recorded making sounds when stressed.

In a study, Itzhak Khait and his team found that tomato   and tobacco plants can make ultrasonic( 超声的 ) noises. The plant “cry out” due to lack of water, or when they are cut. The sound is just too high for human to hear.

Microphones were placed 10 centimeters away from the plants and picked up sounds in the range of 20 to 100,000 hertz( 赫兹). Human hearing usually ranges from 20 to 20,000 hertz. On average, “thirsty” tomato plants made 35 sounds an hour, while tobacco plants made 11. When plant was cut, tomato plants made an average of 25 sounds in the following hour, and tobacco plants 15.

Perhaps most interestingly, different types of stress led to different sounds. The researchers used a special machine to separate the plants’ sounds from those of wind, rain and other noises of the greenhouses. In most cases, it correctly told whether the stress was caused by dryness or a cut. Water-hungry tobacco made louder sounds than cut tobacco, for example. Although Khait and his team only looked at tomato and tobacco plants, they thought other plants also made sounds when stressed. Khait’s report also suggested that insects could hear the sound up to 5 meters away and respond.

The team said if farmers could hear these sounds, they could give plants the water they need. As climate change causes more droughts(干旱), they said this would be important information for farmers, for the sound that drought-stressed plants made could be used in agriculture.

If plants are screaming for fear of their survival, should we be thankful we can’t hear them?

1. Which did Khait and his team find from their research?

A．Only tomato plants could make ultrasonic noises.

B．Humans can hear plants crying while cutting them.

C．Plants were able to produce sounds when stressed.

D．Plants made ultrasonic noises to communicate with each other.

2. How did tomato and tobacco plants react to different stresses according to the text?

A．Cut tobacco plants made weaker sounds than drought-stressed ones.

B．Tomato plants reacted to different stresses with the same sound.

C．Cut tomato plants produced more sounds than water-hungry ones.

D．Tobacco plants made louder sounds than tomato plants when short of water.

3. What’s the main idea of Paragraph 5?

A．Farmers imagine what the future agriculture will be like.

B．Farmers have contributed a lot to the research.

C．Farmers can apply the result of the research to agriculture.

D．Farmers will face lots of challenges in the future.

4. Where is this text most likely from?

A．A nature magazine.

B．A novel.

C．A diary.

D．A guidebook.

【推荐1】Across the world, more and more people are volunteering online. What encourages them to help strangers without expectation of money or even thanks?

Radha Taralekar helped teach Imelda how to protect herself from HIV, though the two have never met, and neither knows the other’s name. Taralekar received no payment for the job. She is one of a number of talented people who regularly donate their time online. But what is driving them to help total strangers, while asking for nothing in return? For Taralekar, the project gave her the chance to us her professional experience. “I want to serve people with my medical knowledge,” she says.

For some, the inspiration to volunteer online was far more personal. After losing his wife to cancer, Tony Selman spent many hours online helping Cancer Research to collect data on the disease. “Seeing how painful she was when my wife was dying, I determined to help scientists find a cure for cancer,” he says.

Interests and hobbies are also one of the factors (因素). In 2011 Sam Luk, a designer, joined other online volunteers to try to help the police solve a murder case. The police posted them online, calling for volunteers to help them make sense of the messages. “I’m interested in patterns and I love Sherlock Holmes,” says Luk.

For writer Clay Shirky, some large online volunteering projects benefit millions of people, giving him a sense of achievement. He helps write Wikipedia, the world’s biggest encyclopedia (百科全书), which is written entirely by people willing to donate their professional knowledge without any reward.

1. What does Radha Taralekar do according to Paragraph 2?

A．She is a witer.	B．She is a teacher.
C．She is a medical worker.	D．She is a police officer.

2. Tony Selman spent a lot of time helping Cancer Research because of __________.

A．his wife’s suffering from the pains caused by cancer

B．his wish to become an experienced doctor to treat cancer

C．his dream of building a hospital where cancer patients can be treated

D．the close relationship between him and the workers of Cancer Research

3. What leads Sam Luk to help the police with a murder case?

A．A sense of responsibility.	B．His interest and hobby.
C．A sense of achievement.	D．His professional knowledge.

【推荐2】Moksh Jawa, 16, a junior student in Washington High School in the US, has already become a hero among students. As a seventh-grader, he studied on the Internet and taught himself programming. As a high school freshman, he passed the AP Computer Science A Exam with a 5, the highest possible score. Because his high school didn't teach programming, he developed his own online course and helped classmates get through it. Everything he did came from his interest. "I just fell in love with computer science." Jawa said. He encouraged classmates to learn programming, too. Trying to make the knowledge easy for anyone to learn on the Internet, Jawa set about creating his own online course, with easy-to-follow lessons, quizzes and tests. The course has so far attracted 3,200 students across the United States and in 120 countries including China, Ukraine and Algeria. It shows, Jawa said, the huge need for programming lessons.

"I deliver it like I'm talking from one high school student to another." Jawa said, "It's always great to make it as clear and fun as possible, and to try to keep my voice as energetic as possible." He does that, too, when teaching members of the computer science club he founded in Washington.

"He's pretty amazing," said Bob Moran, the headmaster of Washington High School, who saw him lead the club. "He was just a fantastic teacher, clear, organized and entertaining. When a student got the right answer, he would throw them a piece of candy."

1. Which can be the main reason for Jawa creating the online course?

A．He has a great interest in teaching.

B．The online teaching can make him a hero.

C．He wants to help his classmates and others to learn the subject.

D．There is a huge need for programming lessons around the world.

2. What do we know about Jawa's online lessons?

A．They are hard to understand.

B．They've attracted learners around the world.

C．They are taught in different languages.

D．They are easy and fun without quizzes and tests.

3. What the headmaster said in the last paragraph shows that             .

A．Jawa has always been a great club leader

B．Jawa is a hero in Washington High School

C．Jawa is very good at computer programming

D．Jawa knows how to teach and encourage students

【推荐3】Yesterday was my final day as an English language assistant in Paris. I have loved every single moment of my time teaching, and could not have asked for a better school, with the most wonderful students. When applying to be a language assistant. I was a little worried about what the students would be like.

Upon arrival, I found the easiest approach to creating lesson plans was to focus on what was happening right here and now. For example, when it was Halloween in the UK, I found plenty of brainchildren to help me teach my students all about the different cultures and traditions they do not have in France. They loved it! And now, seven months later, it's all over!

The whole experience has been amazing. I highly recommend being a language assistant. I don't want to become a teacher，and I didn't before I arrived, but the skills and experience I have gained from these entire seven months of working is indescribable. Now, I'm finding myself still walking down the street and having ideas pop into my mind and saying, “Oh! 1 can teach mv class about that next week!” It's very bizarre(异乎寻常的).

I think this first week of having no work and not needing to think of potential lesson plans will be the hardest，and it was surprisingly difficult to say goodbye to most of my classes. But deep down，I know that my time teaching in Paris has given me so much experience and a completely new outlook on how to communicate with younger people with different needs and learning styles.

1. Where did the author work as a teaching assistant?

A．In America.

B．In England.

C．In France.

D．In Canada.

2. What does the underlined word “brainchildren” in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Clever children.	B．Different assistants.
C．Successful experience.	D．Sudden good ideas.

3. What did the author think of her teaching experience?

A．The writer thought it useless.	B．The writer liked it very much.
C．The writer found it very strange.	D．The writer had no idea about it.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．My Teaching Experience in Paris

B．An English Language Assistant in Paris

C．How to Communicate with Younger People

D．How to Become an Amazing Language Teacher

【推荐1】During the school year many parents take on the role of driver as they drive their children from one lesson to another .Understandably so. Many of us want our children to have a little taste of everything, from organized sports to music, dance and more. But we can overdo it, leaving our children feeling a little burnt out, and according to parent educator Diane Loisie ,it’s their school work which suffers the most. “After school, if they’re busy in a number of sporting events, besides they need to do their homework, then the time they’ll feel sleepy is in the classroom. Your child needs free time. So if you’re filling up that after school time, then it’s during the day that they’re going to be taking a break.”
Professor Claire McDermott agrees that there’s a lot to be gained from sometimes putting those scheduled lessons and activities away. “Relaxing time is important for children. It’s time just to do the things they want to do. A child can go up to their room, or they can play around. It doesn’t look like productive time; parents certainly wouldn’t be saying ‘Wow, are they ever learning things now?’ But this relaxing time gives both the body and the brain just a wonderful chance to relax after a day. It helps a child prepare for sleep, but it also helps to understand the learning that’s gone on that day.”
It’s hard to prevent signing our kids up for some activities and lessons. After all, many of us want our children to have a head start in life and the chance to join in great activities in the arts or sports is a part of that. However, Loisie feels that in the long run most children feel better with just a few key activities because it gives them an opportunity to master them. “When we get our children in too many activities because we want our children to experience everything, then what we’re doing is setting them up not to be good at one thing or gaining a skill.” So choose your children’s activities wisely. It may be one of the best things you’ve ever done for your kids… and for the family drivers!
1. What is the biggest disadvantage for children to attend too many lessons after school?

A．They can get bored easily about everything.

B．They might have no time to do the homework.

C．They might not pay much attention to learning.

D．They cannot easily focus on learning during the day.

2. What should we think of children’s playing around aimlessly?

A．It is productive.

B．It is helpful.

C．It is a bad habit.

D．It is a waste of time.

3. Why should parents limit the activities our children attend?

A．Because children have no time.

B．Because children cannot learn many things.

C．Because children do not have enough sleep.

D．Because children cannot focus on too many activities.

4. What is the main idea of this passage?

A．Don’t be children’s drivers after school.

B．Choose activities for your children wisely.

C．Make your children learn as much as possible.

D．Let children learn something from various subjects.

【推荐2】Not long ago, an airplane was flying over New Zealand. There was a television camera crew on board. Suddenly,out in the night sky,a bright sphere (球体)came into view.Everyone on board saw it and everyone thought, “UFO”—Unidentified Flying Object. The camera crew went into action and started filming. That week people all over the world saw the film of the mysterious light on their television screens. What was it? Was it a spaceship full of visitors from another planet? The captain of the airplane and the film crew believed it was. Other observers had many different explanations. Some said it was Venus(金星). Others said it was just a trick(幻影)of light.

An air traffic controller also saw it on his radar screen. He thought that a flock(一群) of birds was causing dots on his radar screen when the “UFO” appeared.

Most astronomers now believe that what these people saw was almost certainly the planet Venus. At that time of year it was very bright and easy to see. And from a moving airplane it can appear to be moving fast. So far there is no proof that UFOs or spaceships from other planets do exist. These years investigators of UFOs have investigated thousands of sightings or occasions when people said they saw a UFO. Ninety percent of these turned out to have a simple explanation.

However, it is a good idea to keep an open mind. Scientists in some countries are trying to persuade their governments to help them study UFOs. And they are planning to cooperate internationally on reporting and investigating sightings of UFOs.

After all, it is quite possible that there is life out there in the universe. And if something is alive，it is quite possible that it will come to visit us.

1. From the first paragraph,we can know that________.

A．a television camera crew and some astronomers were on board the airplane when the “UFO” appeared

B．they saw the “UFO” in the daytime

C．the “UFO” is bright at night

D．there are different opinions about Venus

2. The captain and the camera crew believed that “UFO”was________.

A．the planet Venus

B．a visiting spaceship from another planet

C．just a trick of light

D．dots caused by a flock of birds

3. Why do most astronomers now believe that what these people saw was almost certainly the planet Venus?

A．Because they think at the time when it was seen,Venus should be very bright and easy to see.

B．Because they saw it with their own eyes.

C．Because they have proved UFOs or spaceships from Venus do exist.

D．Because it was moving very fast when they saw it.

4. What is the main idea of the passage?

A．The UFO—an Unidentified Flying Object was filmed by a television crew.

B．The discussion about what on earth the UFO is.

C．Scientists studying the UFO are trying to ask the governments to offer them help.

D．Life in the universe will come to visit our earth.

【推荐3】NOT all memories are sweet. Some people spend all their lives trying to forget bad experiences. Violence and traffic accidents can leave people with terrible physical and emotional scars. Often they relive these experiences in nightmares.

Now American researchers think they are close to developing a pill, which will help people forget bad memories. The pill is designed to be taken immediately after a frightening experience. They hope it might reduce ,or possibly erase(抹去),the effect of painful memories.

In November, experts tested a drug on people in the US and France. The drug stops the body releasing chemicals that fix memories in the brain. So far the research has suggested that only the emotional effects of memories may be reduced, not that the memories are erased.

The research has caused a great deal of argument. Some think it is a bad idea, while others support it.

Supporters say it could lead to pills that prevent or treat soldiers' troubling memories after war. They say that there are many people who suffer from terrible memories.

"Some memories can ruin people's lives. They come back to you when you don't want to have them in a daydream or nightmare. They usually come with very painful emotions," said Roger Pitman, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. "This could relieve a lot of that suffering."

But those who are against the research say that changing memories is very dangerous because memories give us our identity (特质). They also help us all avoid the mistakes of the past.

"All of us can think of bad events in our lives that were horrible at the time but make us who we are. I'm not sure we want to wipe those memories out, "said Rebecca Dresser, a medical ethicist.
1. The passage is mainly about ___________.

A．a new medical invention

B．a new research on the pill

C．a way of erasing painful memories

D．an argument about the research on the pill

2. The drug tested on people can ___________ .

A．cause the brain to fix memories

B．stop people remembering bad experiences

C．prevent body producing certain chemicals

D．Wipe out the emotional effects of memories

3. We can infer from the passage that ___________.

A．people doubt the effects of the pills

B．the pill will stop people's bad experiences

C．taking the pill will do harm to people's health

D．the pill has probably been produced in America

4. Which of the following does Rebecca Dresser agree with?

A．Some memories can ruin people's lives.

B．People want to get rid of bad memories.

C．Experiencing bad events makes us different from others.

D．The pill will reduce people's sufferings from bad memories.