As the summer of 2012 draws near, there will be more and more reports about the London Olympic Games. Sportsmen and visitors from all over the world will travel to London. With different people to come from different cultures, speaking different languages is a difficult job for the host city. In the near future, London will have a chance to turn into a multilingual(多语的) city.
Languages will play an important part in the Olympics. The need for languages is present in different sides of the games. London will be home to a large multicultural population with more than 300 languages to be spoken in the city. Chances will come for businesses of all sizes to make money by dealing with the visitors from all over the world. To be able to use the good chances, businesses need to pay attention to language services.
Language services will be very important for helping people to communicate during the games. Communicating with people in their own language has already been one of the key purposes. To meet the need of the coming games, Londoners are asked to study more languages through short-time educational programs while they are preparing for the games. Language services should be prepared months before they start to solve any language problems that might come up during the games. To get the best possible results, translation work should also be carried out months ahead so that language services are ready for future visitors.
根据短文内容，完成下列小题。
1. When will the London Olympics be held?
2. Are languages important in the Olympics?
3. What do businesses need to do if they want to use the good chances?
4. How will Londoners study more languages?
5. What should be done to get the best possible results?
相似题推荐
A few months ago, a short video was popular among people on Douyin. It showed a dance performed by Xu Tianran, a volunteer, and Bing Dwen Dwen at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. It not only brought happiness to people, but also made Xu famous.
Xu said she performed the dance with Bing Dwen Dwen to ask people to follow them. By copying their movements, people can stay warm at low temperatures. “I hope I can pass the positive attitude(积极的态度) to people,” she said.
Xu has grown up in Beijing. Now, she is a student at the Beijing University of Chemical Technology. She has been interested in voluntary work for a long time. And she has already spent more than 500 hours on such work. Xu’s mother once helped an Austrian cyclist at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games(残奥会). She set a good example for her daughter. That’s why Xu decided to be a volunteer at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. She wanted to offer help to others, too.
During the games, Xu’s main job was to serve other volunteers. She took photos, recorded videos and wrote stories about their work. Also, she posted news about other volunteers online. What she did made people know more about volunteers’ work.
Xu thought the special experience would improve her future study and life. “It was an unforgettable experience for me,” Xu said.
1. When did Xu dance with Bing Dwen Dwen?______________________________________
2. Is Xu a middle school student?
______________________________________
3. How many hours has Xu spent in volunteering?
______________________________________
4. Why did Xu want to be a volunteer at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games?
______________________________________
5. What did Xu do during the Games?
______________________________________
【推荐2】The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics was a great success. China has kept the promise to hold a green Olympics. Many green actions made it possible, like providing environmentally friendly smart beds, using new energy cars, supporting sporting places with 100% clean energy and reusing rain and snow water.
Take making ice as an example. China didn’t use R507a common material to make ice because it isn’t friendly enough to the environment. Through 18 months’ hard work, China independently developed the CO2 direct cooling technology.
A net of tubes runs under the ice. High-pressure liquid (液态) CO2 goes through them to create heat exchange. The CO2 evaporates (蒸发) under the ice surface. The evaporation takes in heat and turns water on the surface into ice. And the CO2 goes into another circle. This technology helps to make ice better and faster. And above all, it is much greener because there’s no new CO2 produced. Among all the 15 ice sporting places in the Winter Olympics, 7 used the CO2 direct cooling technology to make ice. As a result, much less pollution was caused.
Beijing did so much more to save energy. Beijing built the new sporting places with green materials. As for the old ones, Beijing used new glass walls to take the place of traditional walls to let more natural light in. 70% of the waste heat was also reused to keep warm and dry. And a large number of new energy cars were used at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics is the first to truly achieve carbon neutrality (碳中和), and it has set new standards in green technologies. Some newspapers say China has set an example for the world in environmental protection and green development.
1. What is China’s promise about Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics?2. How long did it take China to develop the CO2 direct cooling technology?
3. Why is China’s CO2 direct cooling technology much greener?
4. How many ice sporting places used the CO2 direct cooling technology in Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics?
5. What did Beijing use to build the new sporting places?
6. What can you learn from this passage?
February 8 was Gu Ailing’s day, when she won a gold medal（金牌）in the women’s freestyle skiing（自由式滑雪）big air event at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. Gu made history that day. Besides, when she got gold, Gu gave Ledeux a warm hug. It was also the first time a Chinese athlete（运动员）took part in the event and won gold.
Gu is called the “Snow Princess” by many people. It was her first time at the Olympics. After the first two rounds, Gu was falling far behind her French competitor Tess Ledeux. However, she tried hard and made it in her last jump.
In interviews after the race, Gu said she took part in the Winter Olympics not to defeat（打败）her competitors but to do her best. “I’m not skiing just for the Olympic Games. Yet, the gold medal is not the only reason behind her increasing popularity. Only when you do the things you love can you put all your heart into them,” said Gu.
Though she got worldwide fame, Gu said she’d continue living her life like any other teenager. “I’ll still get to call my grandma after this, hang out with my friends and play games on my phone. I’m still a common 18-year-old girl who just loves freestyle skiing.”
Gu said she wanted to tell young people, especially girls who are interested in winter sports, to “go for it and try to push the boundaries（界限）as much as they can”.
1. How old do you think Gu Ailing is according to the passage?2. Why was February 8 Gu Ailing’s day?
3. Did Gu Ailing join in the Olympics for the second time?
4. What do people call Gu Ailing?
5. What would Gu Ailing do after she got worldwide fame?
English is the first language of about 400 million people and the mother language of 12 countries. However, it has many differences. British, American and South African English are all spoken differently. In many English language courses, the British and American differences are taught. One is not more correct than the other, but there are important differences between the two.
Probably the biggest difference between American and British English is the vocabulary. Different words are used to talk about the same thing. For example, in the United States, people throw their garbage into the trash can. In England, people throw their rubbish into the dustbin. In Britain, people take a lift to the fifth floor. In America, people take an elevator.
American and British grammar can also be different. For example, speakers of British English will ask “What did you do at the weekend?”, but Americans usually say “on the weekend”. In the United States people usually say “I’ve gotten a new bike”, but in the U.K., they will say “I’ve just got a new bike”.
The pronunciation in American and British English is also different, even when the spelling is the same. The word “tomato” is a classic example of this.
English is different in different parts of the world. Learning all these is not easy, so English learners should just know that they are always there.
1题完成句子；2、3题简略回答问题；4题找出并写下第三段的主题句；5题将文中画线句子译成汉语。
1. English is spoken as the
2. What’s the biggest difference between American and British English?
3. Why does the writer talk about “tomato” in Paragraph 4?
4.
5.
Can you speak more than one language? Being able to communicate with people in another language is a great way to make friends and feel more confident.
Language is the way we communicate with each other. It includes speaking, writing and using hand and face movements, known as sign language. Unlike countries, languages have no borders (边界) and can connect people around the world.
Speaking another language helps you talk to people you may not understand, and makes you feel more connected to them. A girl from Hungary, Havana, who is aged 12, says speaking Hungarian as well as English means she can talk to her friends from England. This makes her feel closer to her British friends because they’re able to share their interests. Learning another language can also help you gain confidence—for example, by being able to chat to local people when you travel. Studies show that being able to speak two languages also exercises the brain and makes you better at concentrating on more than one thing at a time.
Alex Rawlings is a language teacher and writer who speaks more than 15 languages. He finds it’s easier to learn words that he can see or hear, rather than from a list. “For example, the words of a song are more memorable because they rhyme (押韵) and are sung,” he says. It’s also important to understand why you learn a language. Rawlings suggests writing down reasons why you want to learn the language and keep reminding yourself of them. “I’ve met lots of friends through my languages,” says Rawlings. “The more you learn, the easier it gets.”
1. What is the difference between countries and languages?2. What makes Havana feel closer to her friends from England?
3. What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?
4. Who is Alex Rawlings?
5. Do you agree with the underlined sentence in the last paragraph? Why or why not?
【推荐3】"Fall" and"Autumn"
What season is it in October? If you ask people from the UK, they will tell you it's "autumn". But if you go to the US, you will find that people use“autumn" or“fall".
According to Dictionary .com, both words have been around for a long time, but neither of them was the first to describe this season. During this season, crops (庄稼) would become ripe (成熟) and farmers would have a big harvest. So in Old English, this season was simply called "harvest" .
Then, in the 1600s, more people left their farms and moved to cities. With fewer people farming, the word "harvest" became less useful. English speakers needed a different name for the season. They knew leaves fell from trees during the season, so people started calling it“the fall of the leaf", or“fall" for short.
But at the end of the 1600s, autumn, from the French word "autompne" and the Latin "autumnus" came to England. "Fall" as the word for this season disappeared slowly.
At the same time, people in the UK were making their first trips to North America. They brought both the words“fall" and“autumn" with them. That's why today's Americans have two names for one season.
Title: “Fall” and “Autumn” | |||
| The names of the season in October | People in the UK call it “autumn”. | ||
| People in the US call it | |||
| In the UK | In Old English | It got the name "harvest" because it was time for farmers to | |
| In the 1600s | "The fall of the leaf" or “fall” | ||
| At the end of the 1600s | "Autumn" appeared in England. It | ||
| In the US | At the end of the 1600s | People in the UK started to travel to North America and brought these two words there. | |
【推荐1】How do students spend their spare time after finishing their homework? Watch TV, play computer games, or go outside to relax? Here’s a good example.
Tim and Kerry Meek are both teachers. They live in the UK with their two daughters: eleven-year-old Amy and nine-year-old Ella. Recently, the Meek family has become the focus of the whole country after they completed 100 different outdoor activities in one year.
The Meek couple didn’t want their children to spend all their free time in front of the TV and become “couch tomatoes”. So about one year ago, the Meeks decided that watching TV and playing computer games were not permitted（许可，允许） . Instead, they set 100 tasks for the two girls to do outside. Although Mr. and Mrs. Meek are not outdoor activity fans, they took part in all the activities to encourage（鼓励） their daughters. It turns out that the two sisters really had a good time joining in activities.
Every holiday and weekend, whether it’s sunny, rainy or snowy, the Meeks would set off to try the activities on their list, including hiking, sailing, climbing , skiing, and so on. The two little girls not only had a wonderful time, but also learned a lot of skills from the activities. They were even able to stand up in front of their school to give a talk for charity. “Our friends spend a lot of their free time doing things which are harmful to their health. Luckily, we’ve had the chance to experience(体验) something different.” Amy and Ella also helped their parents to draw up a new list of challenges for the next 12 months.
1. Why did the Meeks become the focus of the UK?____________________________________________________________________
2. Why did the Meek couple set 100 tasks for their daughter to do outside?
____________________________________________________________________
3. When did the Meeks go out to do the activities?
____________________________________________________________________
4. What are the outdoor activities?
____________________________________________________________________
5. What do you think of the Meek couple’s idea of relaxing?
____________________________________________________________________
Today, there are many problems between parents and children. Many people always ask, “Why do we often argue（争论）?”
Parents show their love for children in different ways. They cook nice food, buy new clothes for them. They also care about their studies. Parents always ask “You must work hard”, “You should do your homework”, “Why not do homework for your exam?” all the time.
When children get bad marks, their parents get very angry. They stop their children watching TV, playing games or going outside until（直到）they are good at their studies.
Why? Most families have only one child. The child is the hope of the family, they want the child to be the best.
Many children want to do things themselves. They want to do many unusual things that parents dislike. They sing pop songs, listen to the QQ music and other new things. They enjoy surfing on the Internet and playing QQ games. They spend a lot of time chatting online. In their parents’ eyes, these are a waste of time. For these reasons, parents and children often argue.
| Reason | Parents want their child to be the | A. They B. Their children should C. It’s |
| Many children want to do many unusual things that parents don’ t | They like to B. They usually surf on the Internet, play QQ games and | |
Paper cutting is one of the traditional folk arts in China. It is a kind of popular folk arts and has been popular for about 1,500 years. Let's learn about paper cutting.
Wonderful meanings
Paper cutting has some wonderful meanings. In our mind, paper cuttings can always bring us happiness and good luck. At the Spring Festival, people put up "Fu "on doors or windows. At a wedding, people also put up"Xi".
The largest paper cutting in the world
The largest paper cutting was made by Guo Xiaodong. It has an area of about 456 square meters. It is as large as a basketball court.
Why are most paper cuttings red？
In old times, people respected the sun. Red is the color of the sun. We always regardred as the symbol of hope and good luck. Now, we can still see red everywhere in China. The walls of old palaces are red. Lanterns are red. Weddings are always full of red things, too.
Black paper cutting in Shanzhou
It's true that most paper cuttings are red. But paper cuttings in Shanzhou, Henan Province are black. Black is the best color there. Shanzhou is a dry place. The local people make black paper cuttings to wish for rain.
1. What can paper cuttings always bring us in our mind?2. Who made the largest paper cutting?
3. How do the local people in Shanzhou wish for rain?
4. 请把文中划线句子翻译成汉语。
5. 请给短文拟一个恰当的标题。
