1 . Interested in learning a new language but don’t know where to start? Here are the best online language learning courses we’ve put together for your reference.
Rosetta Stone
Price: $7.99 per month — $199 one-time payment
Number of languages: 28
Rosetta Stone has long been known as the go-to service for new language learners. It offers lessons that are short enough to complete each day, but long enough to actually get something out of. Rosetta Stone’s interface (界面) is generally easy to use, and its lessons include reading, writing, speaking and listening, all in one lesson. You can also choose to subscribe (订阅) to a monthly payment or purchase a lifetime license.
Duolingo
Price: Free — $6.99 per month
Number of languages: 36
Duolingo has risen as a serious competitor to Rosetta Stone over the past few years. The service is perhaps best known for its Android and iOS apps and those apps are available for free, which makes it easy to practice your chosen language without having to make a serious commitment. Alternatively, you can sign up for Duolingo Plus, which removes ads, offers offline courses, and more. Many consider Duolingo to be better for those who want to practice a language rather than learning from the very beginning.
Babbel
Price: $6.95 per month — $12.95 per month
Number of languages: 14
Looking for a service to challenge your language-learning skills? Babbel may be the way to go. Babbel is excellent at teaching phrases and words that you’ll actually use on a day-to-day basis. The service is also relatively cheap, so if you’re unsure if you want to commit to learning a new language yet, the low subscription prices ensure you don’t have to make a huge commitment.
Memrise
Price: $6.67 per month — $119.99 one-time payment
Number of languages: 16
If you learn best through repetition and flashcards (识字卡), then Memrise may be the service for you. It’s relatively inexpensive, making it easier to sign up. Memrise isn’t necessarily the service for those who want to learn a language from scratch (从头开始), but it’s a great learning aid, and good for those who already have a foundation in language-learning.
1. What is special about Rosetta Stone?| A．It features a simple interface without ads. | B．It is intended for high-level learners. |
| C．It helps improve various language skills. | D．It offers a one-month free trial. |
| A．Grammatical rules and syntactic structures. | B．Accent and pronunciation. |
| C．Vocabulary and everyday phrases. | D．Cultural customs and traditions. |
| A．$119.99. | B．$129.5 | C．$166. | D．$199. |
| A．They offer free Android and iOS apps. |
| B．They are more suitable for people with certain basis. |
| C．They allow users to take offline courses. |
| D．They provide courses of over 20 languages. |
| A．To encourage students to learn a new language. |
| B．To provide four apps for only English learners. |
| C．To show the benefits of learning language online. |
| D．To introduce four language learning courses online. |
| A．that | B．why | C．what | D．where |
| A．has been reached | B．had been reached | C．has reached | D．had reached |
| A．reliable | B．incredible | C．temporary | D．flexible |
| A．Having judged | B．To judge | C．Judge | D．Judging |
| A．has offered | B．has been offered |
| C．had offered | D．had been offered |
7 . When you choose a friend, you should be very careful. A good friend can help you study. You can have fun together and make each other happy. Sometimes you will meet fair weather friends. They will be with you as long as you have money or luck, but when you are down, they will run away. How do I know when I have found a good friend? I look for certain qualities of character, especially understanding, honesty and reliability (可靠).
Above all else, I look for understanding in a friend. A good friend tries to understand how another person is feeling. He is not quick to judge. Instead, he tries to learn from others. He puts himself in the other person’s place, and he tries to think of ways to be helpful. He is also a good listener.
At the same time, however, a good friend is honest. He does not look for faults (过错) in others. He notices their good points. In short, good friends will be honest to each other and accept each other.
Another quality of a friend is reliability. I can always depend on a good friend. If he tells me he will meet me somewhere at a certain time, I can be sure that he will be there. If I need a favor, he will do his best to help me. If I am in trouble, he will not run away from me.
There is a fourth quality that makes a friend special. A special friend is someone with whom we can have fun. We should enjoy our lives, and we would enjoy our friendship. That is why I especially like friends who are fun to be with. A good friend likes the same things I like. We share experience and learn from each other. A good friend has a good sense of humor , too. He likes to laugh with me. That is how we share in the joy of being friends. And I know that he is looking for the same quality in me.
When I meet someone who is reliable, honest, and understanding, I know I've found a friend!
1. If you have fair weather friends, ______ .| A．you will become rich |
| B．you can be sure that you get real friends |
| C．they will give you all that they have when you need help |
| D．you will be refused when you get into trouble |
| A．honesty | B．reliability |
| C．understanding | D．a sense of humor |
| A．understand each other's feelings |
| B．be helped with money |
| C．always point out each other's mistakes |
| D．have money or luck |
| A．the qualities of a friend |
| B．where to choose friends |
| C．how to get along with friends |
| D．the importance of having a friend |
8 . One of the most stressful days of Susan McFrederick’s life was watching her son get wheeled away for surgery hours after he was born in 2011.
But after the operation, Susan burst into tears for a different reason: across the cut on their newborn sons back was a sweet winter scene, hand-drawn on his bandages（绷带）.
“There were rolling hills of snow, a pine tree and a snowman with a hat and broom, she recalled. It was extremely touching and comforting to know that somebody had taken the time to do that for my family. It was a moment I'll never forget.”
Susan soon learned the artist was her sons surgeon, Robert Parry, who discovered another way to use his hands in the mid-1980 s during his internship（实习期）at children's medical center. where he saw one of his colleagues cut out heart and shark shapes to decorate children’s bandages.
“My first reaction was, 'What is he doing? Hey, that’s kind of neat,’ ” Parry recalled. “I especially liked the reactions of the parents and the patients when they saw his artwork. The smiles took everyone's attention from the surgery. Then I decided to follow suit.”
Parry quickly graduated from his early hearts and sharks, and started to surprise families with drawings that captured young patients' personalities. From Snoopy to Spider-Man and bears to butterflies, there isn’t much he hasn’t drawn. Most kids want superheroes sports team logos or princesses, while babies often receive scenes with flowers trees and sea creatures During the last 30 years, Parry estimates he has left examples of his handiwork over the stitches（伤口缝线） of more than 10, 000 children.
“During a time of stress for families, it's nice to be able to help them smile and laugh," Parry said. This is something positive that I can do for them, which is what I like most about it.”
For Parry, the reward is knowing he hopefully made a difference in a child’s life, and except for his drawings on bandages, they can go on and live their lives and never know I was in it.” he said.
He's not ready to retire, but he's found a new hobby to keep his hands skillful in the years to come.
“I've taken up knitting（编织）,” Parry said. “Hats, sweaters, gloves---I enjoy it all. But mostly, I enjoy giving everything away.”
1. Susan burst into tears after her baby's operation because she was__________.| A．moved | B．amused |
| C．stressed | D．heartbroken |
| A．He was motivated by his patients. |
| B．He was inspired by his colleague. |
| C．He was required to learn the skill during his internship. |
| D．He was encouraged by Susan to show his genius for art. |
| A．devoted himself more to art than to medicine. |
| B．knew more about his patients than their parents. |
| C．took into consideration the tastes of individual patients. |
| D．created a large number of works beyond his expectations. |
| A．To get a reward from the artistic circle. |
| B．To win the admiration of his colleagues. |
| C．To make a difference in his dull medical career. |
| D．To lift the spirits of his patients and their parents. |
| A．He is eager to show others his new skills. |
| B．He enjoys trying new ways to help others. |
| C．He is looking forward to life after retirement. |
| D．He is more interested in knitting than drawing. |
| A．since | B．once |
| C．unless | D．after |
—He went to the library after breakfast and ________ his essay there ever since.
| A．wrote | B．had written | C．has been writing | D．is writing |
