1 . Best for Formal English Classes: Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)
MOOCs, as the name suggests, are online courses that are open to an unlimited number of students. If you’re someone who prefers this kind of course, one of these could be for you.
Best for All Levels: Alison Ratings: 4.3/5 Users: 1,000,000+Opened in 2007, Alison is considered to be the first MOOC. It has a whole section for learning English and is one of the best MOOCs for starting your English studies from ABC.
The courses offered here come from 40 places all across the world, including some top British institutions like the British Council. But it has no partners in the US, so if you’re looking for American English, you might want to try a different site!
Udemy wants to teach everything and is one of the biggest MOOCs out there. There are tens of thousands of courses. Not all the courses on Udemy are free, but there’re a good number of free ones. Even the courses that aren’t free can be pretty affordable.
Recommended for advanced learners, Coursera is another MOOC that offers saved courses without the Internet. Coursera has a great many partners, institutions and universities. You can complete courses as they take place, or just play back the lessons when they are over.
1. What do we know about FutureLearn from the text?
| A．It is the biggest MOOC. | B．It allows offline learning. |
| C．It is the first MOOC in the world. | D．It provides courses in British English. |
| A．They have access to free courses. |
| B．They can communicate with partners. |
| C．They can be recommended to universities. |
| D．They can complete courses at their own pace. |
| A．Alison. | B．FutureLearn. | C．Udemy. | D．Coursera. |
2 . Four National Parks in California
Channel Islands National Park
Channel Islands National Park includes five remarkable islands and their ocean environment, preserving and protecting a wealth of natural and cultural resources. Isolation over thousands of years has created unique animals, plants, and archaeological resources.
Death Valley National Park
In this below-sea-level basin, steady drought and record summer heat make Death Valley National Park a land of extremes. Yet, each extreme has a striking contrast. Towering peaks are frosted with winter snow. Rare rainstorms bring vast fields of wildflowers. Despite its frightening name, lush oases (绿洲) harbor tiny fish and provide shelters for wildlife and humans.
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
Located in the Fisherman’s Wharf neighborhood, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park offers visitors the sights, sounds, smells and stories of Pacific Coast maritime history. The Park includes a magnificent fleet of historic ships, a Visitor Center, Maritime Museum, Maritime Research Center, and Aquatic Park Historic District.
Yosemite National Park
Not just a great valley, but a shrine (圣地) to human foresight. Yosemite National Park is best known for its waterfalls when making a comparison to other national parks, and you can find deep valleys, grand meadows, a vast wilderness area, and much more.
1. What do Channel Islands National Park and San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park have in common?| A．They both have a visitor center. |
| B．They both provide outdoor and indoor activities. |
| C．They are both famous for their natural attractions for visitors. |
| D．They both have historic significance to California. |
| A．Typical extreme temperature. | B．Deep valleys. |
| C．Spectacular waterfalls. | D．Rich and unique plants. |
| A．A history book. | B．A tourist magazine. |
| C．A novel. | D．A biography. |
3 . Literary (文学的) festivals are all over the UK and Ireland this month. Here are four of them.
Hay Festival
Set on the beautiful Wales-England border, this year’s Hay Festival includes travel writer Kapka Kassabova delivering the 2023 Jan Morris Lecture, Ray Mears discussing the British woodland, and Bear Grylls and Ranulph Fiennes celebrating a love of wild spaces. Author-led tours with Wayfair Walks explore the Brecon Beacons.
Date: From 25 May to 4 June
Guernsey Literary Festival
Celebrating great writing and big ideas in the beautiful island of Guernsey, this event includes activities such as a talk by Susie Dent centred on her book An Emotional Dictionary — Real Words For How We Feel, and family-focused drawing classes from painter Rob Biddulph. The festival also offers poetry competitions, writing workshops and the chance to stretch your legs on Guernsey’s coastal trails and nature walks.
Date: From 2 to 14 May
International Literature Festival Dublin
The ancient streets that were once inspiration for James Joyce, W·B Yeats and Oscar Wilde welcome Ireland’s leading literary festival this May. The 10-day event celebrates the best Irish and international writers, poets, playwrights and screenwriters. Book-themed guided walks are also offered.
Date: From 19 to 28 May
The Bath Festivals
Founded in 1948, The Bath Festivals is a year-round creative learning program that inspires and connects different people and communities through various activities. For example, we have Bath Contemporary Artists’ Fair in May and Bath Children’s Literature Festival in September. Our other year-round hands-on music and literature projects give children and young people opportunities to gain real-world experience.
1. Who will discuss the British woodland at Hay Festival?| A．Bear Grylls. | B．Ray Mears. |
| C．Ranulph Fiennes. | D．Kapka Kassabova. |
| A．From 2 to 14 May. | B．From 20 May to 4 June. |
| C．From 19 to 28 May. | D．From 25 May to 4 June. |
| A．It mainly attracts adults. | B．It runs throughout the year. |
| C．It has a variety of activities. | D．It offers author-led city walks. |
4 . Live classes
Our live, online, interactive classes are taught by expert British Council teachers and are available 24/7 via our easily accessible interactive platform. Choose your own timetable. Study in small group classes suited to your specific skill level, joining students from around the world, or choose one-to-one private lessons.
Self-study courses
Our English online self-study courses cost just £5.99 per month and give you a low-cost way to reach your goals in English. Improve your English speaking, listening, reading and writing through a combination of web-based exercises, webinars (网络研讨会) on grammar and pronunciation and optional online live classes.
Personal tutoring
Book private online sessions with a tutor of your choice and focus on the areas important to you. Work together on a learning plan based on your level to help you reach your goal. Sessions are fun, friendly and designed to get you speaking confidently.
IELTS (雅思) preparation
Get the help you need to maximise your IELTS score. Focus on speaking, writing, reading or listening, or any combination of these. You decide your schedule, your teacher and your language focus. The program includes 30＋ hours of online practice activities, live stream webinars and language sessions.
All the courses are recommended for participants with: A1 Elementary to C1 Advanced English levels
Contact us at britishcouncil@learnenglish.com
1. What do we know about live classes?| A．Their timetables are flexible. | B．Their group lessons are unpopular. |
| C．They fail to provide private lessons. | D．They are only available in the UK. |
| A．Time-wasting. | B．Traditional. | C．Cheap. | D．Inefficient. |
| A．A research article. | B．A guidebook. | C．A diary entry. | D．An advertisement. |
5 . I am editor of an American magazine. Last week a boy named Andy wrote me an email. The following is the content:
My reply is as follows:
It’s a shame that others are treating you this way, but you should be confident about your interests.
Why don’t you try and reach out to people who have the same interests? Lots of people nowadays are getting more engaged in cooking or helping out around the house.
My advice is to always stick to your interests. Don’t let people who don’t understand you get in the way.
| A．What should I do? |
| B．My brother is just like you. |
| C．You can get along well with others. |
| D．Cooking skills can be improved with practice. |
| E．I am a boy who likes to cook and do housework. |
| F．This led him to work at a restaurant part-time while still at school. |
| G．Why don’t you try posting some recipes or some tips on housework on social media sites? |
6 . Beginners’ French: food and drink
Hours: 5
As well as improving your language skills, you will gain an insight into French societies and cultures through focusing on food and drink. You will listen to French speakers in a variety of situations. The course is free of charge.
After studying this course, you should be able to:
* express likes and dislikes in relation to food and drink
English in the world today
Hours: 8
This free course explores the status of the English language and its worldwide diversity. It looks at how social and political factors influence people’s attitudes towards it, and at the relationship between one’s linguistic heritage and sense of identity.
After studying this course, you should be able to:
* understand the diversity of English through history and around the world
* understand the effect of social and cultural factors on an individual’s use of English
Advanced German: regional landscapes
Hours: 15
You will describe images, make notes from a variety of sources, and write a short piece about the three-nation region around Lake Constance. There is no charge for the course.
After studying this course, you should be able to:
* speak or write about certain landscapes, regions and political structures in Germany
* summarize information in your own words in the form of notes and short texts
How to be a critical reader
Hours: 7
Reading critically is an essential skill at university. It means being aware of your own purposes and opinions as you read and being able to recognize the writer’s purposes and opinions in their writing.
After studying this free course, you should be able to:
* consider the importance of examining attitudes to texts
* distinguish between facts and opinions in texts
1. What can the participants get from the course English in the world today?| A．Meeting some famous experts on English. | B．Improving their sense of identity. |
| C．Understanding the diversity of English. | D．Summarizing information in their own words. |
| A．English in the world today. | B．How to be a critical reader. |
| C．Beginners’ French: food and drink. | D．Advanced German: regional landscapes. |
| A．They are free of charge. | B．They are for non-native learners. |
| C．They provide various learning activities. | D．They are specially designed for beginners. |
1. How will the man improve his paper?
| A．By deleting unnecessary sentences. |
| B．By adding a couple of points. |
| C．By correcting grammar mistakes. |
| A．Before June 5th. | B．Before June 7th. | C．Before June 12th. |
| A．Opening a teahouse. | B．Organizing a party. | C．Working on her paper. |
| A．For friendly neighbors. |
| B．For a convenient location. |
| C．For a comfortable living environment. |
9 . There are human angels that appear in my life for small incidents that leave a lasting memory in my mind. One of them was a durian(榴莲)seller in a local supermarket. I couldn’t even remember how he looked like and I didn’t even know his name.
I started part-time work after junior college. I was paid a small sum of $5 an hour ac a part time fashion assistant. Having earned the money the hard way, I definitely learned to treasure every cent.
On Father’s Day, I decided to buy some durian for my father. I went to the local supermarket and looked around at the durian seller’s booth(小隔间)to pick a few packets of durian within my limited budget(预算). I focused all my attention on the cheapest range, which cost $5 a packet, equal to one hour of work standing around as a part-time fashion assistant. I wanted to get 3 packets for my family.
The durian seller appeared and asked me what I wanted. I told him that I would like to get 3 boxes of $5 durian for my father on this special day. He asked me to consider the more expensive choices. I told him I couldn’t afford them. I was ready to pick 3 boxes of $5 durian. The durian seller told me he would sell the durians to me at a discounted price. He took out his marker, adjusted the price, passed me 3 boxes and wished me well. My mind went blank, as I paid only $15 for 3 boxes of durian originally priced at $8 each. Many years later, I still remember his kindness.
1. How did the author earn his money?| A．He worked as a tutor. | B．He worked as a fashion assistant. |
| C．He worked as a shop assistant. | D．He worked as a fashion designer. |
| A．The durians were sold at a discount. |
| B．The durians were delicious and cheap. |
| C．He was paid that day and had money. |
| D．He bought them for his father on Father’s Day. |
| A．Kind. | B．Creative. | C．Brave. | D．Humorous. |
| A．A Valuable Father’s Day Gift |
| B．My First Working Experience |
| C．Kindness Received on Father’s Day |
| D．An Unforgettable Shopping Experience |
10 . Throughout human history, there is a bottomless well of people who made great contributions so that we can now enjoy a better life. The following are, just four of those great minds.
Joseph Lister(1827—1912)
English surgeon (外科医生). Lister pioneered the use of antiseptic (防腐的)and antiseptic surgery which greatly improved survival rates from major surgery. For this, he is often referred to as the father of modern surgery as his use of antiseptic greatly increased the kinds of operations that could be carried out.
Maximilian Bircher-Benner(1867—1939)
Bircher-Benner was a pioneering Swiss physician and nutritionist. He advocated the eating of raw fruit and vegetables and discouraged eating meat and heavily processed foods. Although he was questioned by the scientific establishment, his healthy eating ideas took off and helped create a diet of processed bread, meat and carbs (碳水化合物). The healthy eating trends he established have continued to grow in popularity with more scientific research showing the health benefits of such a diet.
Paracelsus(1493—1541)
Swiss-German physician and leading health reformer. Paracelsus founded the discipline of toxicology (毒理学)and pioneered the use of chemicals in treating patients. He emphasized practical experience. He was also one of the first doctors to note illness can be psychological in nature.
Peter Mansfield(1933—2017)
English physicist who with Peter Lauterbur helped to develop magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)which gets doctors to see inside a patient’s body without needing to cut it open. With MRI, doctors can see far more than with x-ray, which is limited to bones. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2003.
1. What is Maximilian Bircher-Benner’s contribution?| A．He discovered x-ray. |
| B．He set up a healthy eating trend. |
| C．He improved survival rates of operation. |
| D．He did experiments with chemicals to treat diseases. |
| A．Joseph Lister. | B．Maximilian Bircher-Benner. |
| C．Paracelsus. | D．Peter Mansfield. |
| A．They all received Nobel Prize. |
| B．They were all born in Switzerland. |
| C．They all made contributions to treating patients. |
| D．They all helped to make people live a better life. |
