1 . Part of the reason that English has grown as a world language is that it easily adjusts to (适应) change. However, this means that what one was taught as a child in school may be out of date many years later. When words or phrases change, it can make speakers feel “wrong” because they were taught that something else was “right.”
One example of this is a term connected to school itself. Today, it is common for people to say that they “graduated high school” or college. The word “graduate” has two common meanings. One is to mark off a series. The other meaning is closely related. As you move through school, you cross off a series of achievements: grade school, middle school, high school, and college. So, in a way, school itself is “graduated.”
So, when people used to speak of getting a degree, they said they “graduated from college.” “To graduate college” would have meant to mark it off by year — the first year, the second year etc. Similarly, “to graduate to college” would have meant to complete high school and move up to the next level.
But as happens often in English, when people understand your meaning, smaller words can disappear. “I graduated college” is now easy to say. This may distress people who were taught that you had to use “from” to be correct. But this is not the first time this phrase has been simplified. It used to be that you said, “I was graduated from college，” instead of, “I graduated from college.”
You can't know what English will keep and what it will lose. Who could imagine that we would still say we “dial” a phone number when we now push buttons on our cellphone? Yet we know what it means.
1. What do we know about the word “graduate”？| A．It has two similar meanings. |
| B．There was a change in its meanings. |
| C．It had nothing to do with school at first. |
| D．It got an extra meaning during its development. |
| A．I was graduated from college. | B．I was to graduate to college. |
| C．I graduated from college. | D．I graduated college. |
| A．change | B．correct | C．worry | D．hurt |
| A．Right or wrong? |
| B．Words come and go in English |
| C．English is a very changeable language |
| D．How should English be taught in school? |
2 . Where am I? What am I doing? If you're one of my 500 friends online, you'll always be the first to know. My phone and laptop are never out of touching distance, so I'm endlessly checking through all my social networking apps - whether I'm having a coffee, on my way to school, watching TV. . . even when I'm in the shower. I have a never - ending flow of messages and updates from all the people I associate with online. Yet the truth of the matter is: I feel lonely
I'm not the only person who feels this way. According to research, over two-thirds of young people find it easier to make friends online than it is “in real life”. I'm a shy person, but I'm wired up (上线) every day, like most of my friends. On the surface, phones bring us closer together. But in reality, my mind is always a million miles away.
I often feel depressed, dissatisfied and alone. Since I spend so much time socializing online, I even become a procrastinator (拖延者) . I keep postponing things that are important in my real life: homework, tasks, connecting with my friends and family members in a meaningful way. It's funny that my friends and I chatter away online so much, but we end up having nothing to say when we meet.
What is rally worrying is that no one I know, including myself could go cold turkey. I can't even imagine going without social networking for a week - think of all the important appointments, invitations and news updates you would miss! Alcoholics (酗酒者) who want to quit drinking can avoid drinks, but how do we give up our phones? After all, I need it for my studies because my teachers and classmates need to contact me at any time. So, that's the problem with social networking. We're hard-wired in, but we're more disconnected than ever.
1. The author always uses his phone and laptop to __________ .| A．avoid feeling a sense of loneliness |
| B．explore ways of enriching his social life |
| C．follow the updates on his online social network |
| D．receive help with his addiction to online socializing |
| A．He is an alcohol addict | B．He is a poor web chatter |
| C．He is a mild procrastinator | D．He is a heavy social media user |
| A．social media have created many offline problems |
| B．it's difficult to break away from online socializing |
| C．people are unwilling to interact face to face anymore |
| D．the benefits of social networking are too good to miss |
| A．So Close, Yet So Far |
| B．The Young Never Felt More Alone |
| C．Social Networking Worsens Relationships |
| D．More Social Media, Better Online Socializing |
