题目内容
English is the most widely used language in the history of our planet. One in every seven human beings can speak it. More than half of the world’s books and three quarters of international mail are in English. Of all languages, English has the largest vocabulary — perhaps as many as two million words.
However, let’s face it: English is a crazy language. There is no egg in an eggplant, neither pine nor apple in a pineapple and no ham in a hamburger. Sweetmeats are candy, while sweetbreads, which aren’t sweet, are meat.
We take English for granted. But when we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, public bathrooms have no baths in them.
And why is it that a writer writes, but fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t groce, and hammers don’t ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, shouldn’t the plural of booth be beeth? One goose, two geese — so one moose, two meese?
How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? How can overlook and oversee be opposites, while quite a lot and quite a few are alike? How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell the next?
English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of human beings. That’s why, when stars are out, they are visible; but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it; but when I wind up this essay, I end it.
1.According to the passage __________.
A. pineapples are the apples on the pine tree
B. there should be an egg in an eggplant
C. sweetmeats and sweetbreads are different things
D. boxing rings should be round
2. The underlined words “wind up” in the last paragraph maybe means “__________”.
A. blow B. finish C. get hurt D. roll up
3.Through the many paradoxes in the English language, the writer wants to show that human beings are ____________.
A. lazy B. crazy C. clever D. dull
书面表达
请你根据以“老人摔倒你会扶吗?”为主题的班会调查结果及你自己的意见给《英语周报》写一篇演讲稿,要点如下:
调查结果 | 理由 |
1. 80%的人认为会扶 | 救人第一 |
2.15%的人认为不一定会扶 | 看情况 |
3.5%的人认为不会扶 | 不懂急救;怕惹麻烦 |
注意:1.总词数不少于100:;
2.开头部分已写好,不计入总词数;
Ladies and gentlemen,
Will you help the old when he/she falls down on the street? A recent survey from our class meeting shows that