On October 19, 1959, the first Special English program was broadcast on the Voice of America. It was an experiment. The goal was to communicate by radio in clear and simple English with people whose native language is not English. Experts said the goal was admirable, but the method would not work. They were proved wrong. The Special English programs quickly became some of the most popular on VOA. And they still are.

Forty years later, Special English continues to communicate with people who are not fluent in English. But during the years its role has expanded. It also helps people learn American English. And it provides listeners, even those who are native English speakers, with information they cannot find elsewhere.

Today, Special English broadcasts around the world seven days a week, five times a day. Each half-hour broadcast begins with ten minutes of the latest news followed by 20 minutes of feature programming. There is a different short feature every weekday about science, development, agriculture and environment, and on the weekend, about news events and American idioms.

Three elements make Special English unique. It has a limited vocabulary of 1500 words. Most are simple words that describe objects, actions or emotions. Some are more difficult. They are used for reporting world events and describing discoveries in medicine and science. Special English is written in short, simple sentences that contain only one idea. No idioms are used. And Special English is spoken at a slower pace, about two-thirds the speed of Standard English. This helps people learning English hear each word clearly. It also helps people who are English speakers understand complex subjects.

Through the years, Special English has become a very popular tool for teaching English, even though it was not designed as teaching program. It succeeds in helping people learn English in a non-traditional way. Individuals record the programs and play them over and over to practice their listening skills. In countries around the world, English teachers assign Special English to their students. They praise it for improving their students' ability to understand American English and for the content of the programs. Universities and private companies in many countries produce packages of Special English materials for student use.

At the beginning, Special English program was .

A．well received

B．rejected by native people

C．doubted by some professionals

D．intended for teaching English

What kind of English is spoken on Special English?

A．British English.

B．American English.

C．Both British and American English.

D．Not certain.

Which of the following are the elements that make Special English unique?

a．limited vocabulary

b．short simple sentences

b．good communication method

d．slow speed

e．interesting feature programming

A．a, b, c B．a, c, d C．a, b, d D．b, d, e

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．Special English has been founded for less than 50 years.

B．Native English speakers don’t have a great affection for Special English.

C．Special English usually starts with 20 minutes of the latest news.

D．People can learn some idioms from Special English.

From the last paragraph we can infer that .

A．listening to Special English can be a student’s homework

B．listening to Special English can improve the content of the program

C．some student record the Special English material for sale

D．learning English from VOA is a traditional way for English learner.

On October 19, 1959, the first Special English program was broadcast on the Voice of America. It was an experiment. The goal was to communicate by radio in clear and simple English with people whose native language is not English. Experts said the goal was admirable, but the method would not work. They were proved wrong. The Special English programs quickly became some of the most popular on VOA. And they still are.
Forty years later, Special English continues to communicate with people who are not fluent in English. But during the years its role has expanded. It also helps people learn American English. And it provides listeners, even those who are native English speakers, with information they cannot find elsewhere.
Today, Special English broadcasts around the world seven days a week, five times a day. Each half-hour broadcast begins with ten minutes of the latest news followed by 20 minutes of feature programming. There is a different short feature every weekday about science, development, agriculture and environment, and on the weekend, about news events and American idioms.
Three elements make Special English unique. It has a limited vocabulary of 1500 words. Most are simple words that describe objects, actions or emotions. Some are more difficult. They are used for reporting world events and describing discoveries in medicine and science. Special English is written in short, simple sentences that contain only one idea. No idioms are used. And Special English is spoken at a slower pace, about two-thirds the speed of Standard English. This helps people learning English hear each word clearly. It also helps people who are English speakers understand complex subjects.
Through the years, Special English has become a very popular tool for teaching English, even though it was not designed as teaching program. It succeeds in helping people learn English in a non-traditional way. Individuals record the programs and play them over and over to practice their listening skills. In countries around the world, English teachers assign Special English to their students. They praise it for improving their students' ability to understand American English and for the content of the programs. Universities and private companies in many countries produce packages of Special English materials for student use.
【小题1】At the beginning, Special English program was .

A．well received

B．rejected by native people

C．doubted by some professionals

D．intended for teaching English

【小题2】What kind of English is spoken on Special English?

A．British English.

B．American English.

C．Both British and American English.

D．Not certain.

【小题3】Which of the following are the elements that make Special English unique?
a．limited vocabulary
b．short simple sentences
b．good communication method
d．slow speed
e．interesting feature programming

【小题4】Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．Special English has been founded for less than 50 years.

B．Native English speakers don’t have a great affection for Special English.

C．Special English usually starts with 20 minutes of the latest news.

D．People can learn some idioms from Special English.

【小题5】From the last paragraph we can infer that .

A．listening to Special English can be a student’s homework

B．listening to Special English can improve the content of the program

C．some student record the Special English material for sale

D．learning English from VOA is a traditional way for English learner.

On October 19, 1959, the first Special English program was broadcast on the Voice of America. It was an experiment. The goal was to communicate by radio in clear and simple English with people whose native language is not English. Experts said the goal was admirable, but the method would not work. They were proved wrong. The Special English programs quickly became some of the most popular on VOA. And they still are.

Forty years later, Special English continues to communicate with people who are not fluent in English. But during the years its role has expanded. It also helps people learn American English. And it provides listeners, even those who are native English speakers, with information they cannot find elsewhere.

Today, Special English broadcasts around the world seven days a week, five times a day. Each half-hour broadcast begins with ten minutes of the latest news followed by 20 minutes of feature programming. There is a different short feature every weekday about science, development, agriculture and environment, and on the weekend, about news events and American idioms.

Three elements make Special English unique. It has a limited vocabulary of 1500 words. Most are simple words that describe objects, actions or emotions. Some are more difficult. They are used for reporting world events and describing discoveries in medicine and science. Special English is written in short, simple sentences that contain only one idea. No idioms are used. And Special English is spoken at a slower pace, about two-thirds the speed of Standard English. This helps people learning English hear each word clearly. It also helps people who are English speakers understand complex subjects.

Through the years, Special English has become a very popular tool for teaching English, even though it was not designed as teaching program. It succeeds in helping people learn English in a non-traditional way. Individuals record the programs and play them over and over to practice their listening skills. In countries around the world, English teachers assign Special English to their students. They praise it for improving their students' ability to understand American English and for the content of the programs. Universities and private companies in many countries produce packages of Special English materials for student use.

1.At the beginning, Special English program was .

A．well received

B．rejected by native people

C．doubted by some professionals

D．intended for teaching English

2.What kind of English is spoken on Special English?

A．British English.

B．American English.

C．Both British and American English.

D．Not certain.

3.Which of the following are the elements that make Special English unique?

a．limited vocabulary

b．short simple sentences

c．good communication method

d．slow speed

e．interesting feature programming

A．a, b, c B．a, c, d C．a, b, d D．b, d, e

4.From the last paragraph we can infer that .

A．listening to Special English can be a student’s homework

B．listening to Special English can improve the content of the program

C．some student record the Special English material for sale

D．learning English from VOA is a traditional way for English learner.

—Some English idioms are difficult to understand.

—Exactly, ________ you know the meaning of each word.

A．if only

B．even if

C．as if

D．now that

Idioms are phrases and sentences that do not mean exactly what they say. Even if you know the meaning of each word you see or hear, you may not understand the idiom because you don't understand the culture behind it.
For example, if an American boy asks his mother what's for dinner tomorrow, she may say "I'll play it by ear", that means she doesn't have plans for dinner and she will decide later. "Play by ear" used to mean playing music using the sheet music, but now people often use it when they're not talking about music.
There're many idioms in English. If you learn to use them, your English will be more vivid and colorful. English idioms are more common in spoken English. They can be difficult to remember sometimes. Next time when you hear somebody saying to you, "Give me a hand", you don't necessarily stretch out your hand to him/her, but you do need to be helpful. And when the situation is out of hand, you usually can do very little to manage all that. What about a green hand? It's not about the color of your hand! You're a green hand when you are very new at your work and don't have much experience. If you and your partner always work together hand in glove, you two definitely work together very well.
Can you guess the meanings of some common English idioms to do with parts of your body?

1.
An idiom is _______.
1. A.
  a phrase or a sentence that means exactly what the words say
2. B.
  a phrase or a sentence that doesn't mean exactly what every word says
3. C.
  so difficult that nobody can understand
4. D.
  something to do with parts of your body
2.
If a mother says "I'll play it by ear" to talk about the dinner, she means _______.
1. A.
  she will cook dinner while listening to music at the same time
2. B.
  she doesn't hear what others are talking about.
3. C.
  she will play music using the sheet music instead of cooking dinner
4. D.
  She doesn't have plans for dinner and will decide later
3.
When one says "Can you give me a hand?", he means _______.
1. A.
  he needs to hold your hand.
2. B.
  he works well with you
3. C.
  he needs your help
4. D.
  he is a new comer and can't help with the situation
4.
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
1. A.
  People use English idioms more in spoken English than in written English.
2. B.
  To understand the culture behind an idiom is important in understanding the idiom.
3. C.
  Idioms make your English more vivid and colorful so they are easy to remember.
4. D.
  You may not understand an idiom even though you know the meaning of each word.
5.
Here are 4 common English idioms to do with parts of your body and their meanings. Can you match them?
1) to learn something by heart a. to depend on oneself
2) to have sticky fingers b. to know something very well
3) to stand on one's own feet c. to do something secretly
4) to go behind someone's back d. to have the habit of stealing
1. A.
  badc
2. B.
  bdac
3. C.
  cbad
4. D.
  cdba

Idioms are used all the time and unless you recognize when an idiom is being used, what you read or hear ______ can easily be misunderstood.

An idiom is _______.

If a mother says "I'll play it by ear" to talk about the dinner, she means _______.

When one says "Can you give me a hand?", he means _______.

Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

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