More and more people think it necessary to study in an English-speaking country and it didn’t take long at all for me to decide to come and study in UK.

I have been used to school life since I came here two months ago, and I am starting to enjoy most of my time in here. School starts at 9 o’clock every morning, and every Monday, Wednesday and Friday we have long days, in which we have 9 lessons and school finishes at 4 o’clock. Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday we have short days, in which we have only 6 lessons and finish at 1 o’clock. After lessons, we have 2 hours of activity time, when you can choose from a number of activities, including many sports, such as rugby(英式橄榄球) , football, basketball and tennis.

As a boarder(寄宿者), the quality of food is something I consider very important, and Merchiston has not let me down. The school kitchens are run by a professional company, and the quality of food is excellent, and they are always trying to make the diet healthy. One of the obvious advantages of being a boarder is that we can have breakfast in the school, which means we don’t have to pull ourselves out of bed as early as the day pupils!

1. How many lessons do the students have every week in this school?

A. 15 B. 45 C. 27 D. 18

2.The passage mainly tells us about __________________.

A. the writer’s school life in the UK as a boarder

B. the writer’s opinion of the school life in the UK

C. the differences in school life between China and the UK

D. the boarder life in a British middle school

3.Which of the following has the closest meaning to the underlined phrase “ let me down” in the passage?

A. made me blue B. cheered me up

C. encouraged me D. made me surprised

“Colour” and “color”, “favourite” and “favorite”… Have you ever wondered why Americans spell those words without a “u”? Is it because they are lazy?

Of course not. In fact, the difference in spelling was created by Noah Webster(1758-1843). He is a teacher who reformed English to make American identity stronger. Linguists(语言学家) celebrated his 250th birthday on October 16. After the Revolutionary War(1775-1783), Webster believed that Americans should have their own dictionary, rather than rely on British versions. He dropped the British “u” in some words. And he changed “centre” into “center” for children to learn English by spelling words more like they sounded.

Webster wasn’t shy about expressing his opinions. In defining preposterous (unreasonable), he wrote, “A republican government in the hands of females is preposterous.”

Webster spent 28 years on the project before completing the 70,000-word dictionary in 1828 with his American-style spellings. He also added local words. His dictionary was widely used in schools. Linguists believed it helped a new nation achieve unity and cultural independence at a time when most were focused on political freedom.

“He was the shaper of our language and the shaper of American identity,” said Joshua Kendall, who is working on a biography(传记) about Webster. “He at last bonded(联合) us through our language.”

1. According to the passage, when he worked on his dictionary, Noah Webster did all of the following EXCEPT__________.

A. dropping “u” in all the British words.

B. changing “centre” into “center”

C. adding local words

D. voicing his opinion

2.Why did Noah Webster create these differences in his dictionary?

A. Because he wanted to make English simple and easy.

B. Because he wanted American English to have its own characteristics.

C. Because he wanted to show that the USA is stronger than the UK.

D. Because he wanted to achieve political freedom.

3. Which of the following would probably be the best title for the passage?

A. Webster’s Dictionary.

B. American Identity

C. The Shaper of American English

D. Spelling Differences Between American and British English.

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