Mark Twain was a great writer. He was from the USA. He was born in 1835. He was also a famous speaker. He was famous for his sense of humor. Many people liked to listen to him talk because he liked to tell some interesting stories to make people laugh all the time.

One day Mark Twain was going to a small town because of his writing. Before he was going to leave, one of his friends said to him that there were always a lot of mosquitoes in the town and told him that he’d better not go there. Mark Twain waved (摇动) his hand and said, “It doesn’t matter. The mosquitoes are no relatives of mine. I don’t think they will come to visit me.”

After he arrived at the town, Mark Twain stayed in a small hotel near the station. He went into his room, but when he was just about to have a rest, quite a few mosquitoes flew about him. The waiters felt very sorry about that. “I’m very sorry, Mr Mark Twain. There are too many mosquitoes in our town.” One of them said to him.

Mark Twain, however, made a joke, saying to the waiter, “The mosquitoes are very clever. They know my room number. They didn’t come into the wrong room.” What he said made all the people present laugh heartily.

But that night Mark Twain slept well. Do you know why? That was because all the waiters in the hotel were driving the mosquitoes away for him during the whole night.

1.That day Mark Twain went to the town _____.

A. to see one of his friends

B. because he was told there were a lot of mosquitoes there

C. because he wanted to do something there for his writing

D. to see one of his relatives

2.The waitersfelt sorry because _____.

A. they did something wrong to Mark Twain

B. their hotel was too small

C. the room was not very clean

D. there were quite a few mosquitoes in Mark Twain’s room

3.All the people present laughed heartily because _____.

A. the mosquitoes were very clever and they didn’t come into the wrong room

B. the mosquitoes knew Mark Twain’s room number

C. Mark Twain made a joke

D. Mark Twain gave the waiters some nice presents

4. From the story we know _____.

A. no mosquitoes troubled Mark Twain in the night

B. the owner of the hotel told the waiters to look after Mark Twain well at night

C. Mark Twain didn’t have a good rest that night

D. there were not mosquitoes in the hotel any longer

In today’s China, exchanges between Chinese and English-speakers are increasingly frequent. English skills are important to Chinese if China wishes to play a stronger role on the world stage. However, the general English level of the Chinese people is on the decline.

China’s ranking in the 2015 EF English Proficiency Index dropped 10 drops. It was ranked 47th out of 70 countries rated, and is now similar to several Latin American countries. The report triggered widespread discussion in China:in an increasingly international nation, why is the peoples’ level of English getting worse?

A decline in the English level of the Chinese people is no accident. With China’s exam-based education system, worsening English is unavoidable. English education in China is too focused on grammar and ignored oral practice. This results in students often being too scared to speak, for fear of making a mistake. Exam-based courses lead to the problem that students merely learn for the test, not learn the language.

In Latin America, nations do not have a rigorous exam system for English, but focus on promoting the language itself. Such programs that promote English include Chile’s “English Opens Doors,” program, Panama’s “Panama Bilingual Education Program,” and Mexico’s “10 Million People Plan.” Brazil, which also has a government program, is ranked first in the region for English.

The Chinese government should first think about how to reduce the amount of pressure on students taking exams in order to promote change in the current system of rote English education. This is the most important step.

Everyone has been recently focused on overseas returnees. The number of Chinese studying abroad has rapidly multiplied in past years. At the same time, the number of overseas returnees is increasing as well. The job market is also increasingly competitive for them and it is often more difficult for returnees to find a suitable job than it is for domestic graduates.

Difficulties and pressure in the job market for overseas returnees discourages a number of Chinese from studying abroad. As a result, the number of Chinese with high-level English, carefully perfected abroad, has been reduced. This could be a major reason for why English is getting worse overall in China.

While China’s overall level of English has declined, it has not affected China’s huge emphasis on English education and training. China remains one of the nations that is most committed to the study of English.

1.What does the writer want to do with this article?

A. To advise the Chinese government to reform its exam-based education.

B. To analyze the reasons why China’s general English level is on the decline.

C. To report the phenomenon that there is a decline in English level of Chinese people.

D. To compare the different ways of learning English between China and Latin America.

2.Which statement is FALSE according to the passage?

A. Nations in Latin America has carried out some programs to promote the English language itself.

B. China has a rigorous exam system focusing on English grammar while ignoring oral practice.

C. The major reason why there is a decline of Chinese people’s English level is that the Chinese government no longer lays emphasis on English education and training.

D. In China, due to the competitive job job market these days, it’s often easier for domestic graduates to find a suitable job than overseas returnees.

3.What measure can help improve English level of Chinese people?

A. Stopping testing English in the educational examination system.

B. Reducing the amount of pressure on students studying English.

C. Encouraging more students to study in Latin American countries.

D. Focusing more on expressive abilities and less on grammatical exams.

When Julio Diaz stepped off the subway after work one night, he was simply planning to go to his favorite local diner for a meal. But when a teenage boy approached him with a knife, Diaz knew the evening was about to take a more dramatic(巨大而突然的) turn.

The young man demanded Diaz’s wallet, and Diaz passed it over without objection(异议). But just as he turned to walk away, Diaz called, “Hey, wait a minute. You forgot something.”

The young man turned around, surprised.

“If you’re going to rob people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep warm.”

The teenager looked at Diaz in disbelief, and asked why he would do such a thing. Diaz replied, “If you’re willing to risk your freedom for a few dollars, I guess you must really need the money.”He said he was heading out for dinner, and that he would be happy to take someone with him.

The young man decided to take Diaz up on his offer. As they were sitting at the table, the manager, dishwashers and waiters all stopped over to say hello to Diaz, and the young man was amazed at his popularity.

“Haven’t you been taught that you should be nice to everybody?”Diaz asked him.

“Yeah, but I didn’t think people actually behaved that way,” the teenager replied. Thanks to Diaz, he was beginning to see that kindness wasn’t so strange, after all.

When the bill came, Diaz told the teen that he’d have to get the check. After all, he still had Diaz’s wallet.

But the teenager put the wallet on the table without a moment’s thought, and Diaz treated him to dinner. Diaz also gave the would-be robber a $20 bill — in exchange for his knife. “I figure, you know, if you treat people right, you can only hope that they treat you right,” Diaz said.

1.The young man felt surprised when Diaz ________.

A. called him to wait for a moment

B. passed the wallet over without objection

C. stepped off the subway platform

D. invited him to have dinner together

2.The underlined part “take Diaz up on” can be replaced by “________”.

A. follow B. understand

C. accept D. check

3.The teenager gave the wallet back to Diaz maybe because _________.

A. Diaz was so popular with people in the restaurant

B. he had been given a $20 bill to take with him

C. Diaz had to pay for the meal they had together

D. he began to realize people should be nice to others

4.Diaz possibly felt _________ during the whole night.

A. worried and helpless B. relaxed and happy

C. angry and scared D. surprised and anxious

Robinson Crusoe is a famous novel written by Daniel Defoe. The book tells the story of a man who is shipwrecked (遭遇海难的). He spends 28 years on an island near Venezuela. The book tells the story of everything that happens to Robinson Crusoe. He hopes someone will rescue him, but he has been there for so long on his own that he also begins to fear being rescued.

Robinson Crusoe was published in 1719. Most experts believe the story is based on the life of Alexander Selkirk, who was a Scottish sailor. On an expedition in 1704, Selkirk had an argument with his ship’s captain. Selkirk thought the ship was not safe and was about to fall apart.

When the ship stopped at a remote island to get fresh water, Selkirk got off. He tried to get the other crew members to leave with him, but nobody would. The shop then sailed away without him. Selkirk spent four years and four months on his own on the island, known as Aguas Buenas.

Selkirk was finally rescued by a ship that visited the island in 1709. The ship’s captain was grateful to Selkirk because he provided food for the crew when they arrived.

Now archaeologists think they have found the remains of Selkirk’s camp on Aguas Buenas. They found two deep holes that would have held wooden posts. The archaeologists say this is evidence that Selkirk built a shelter there. The post holes are near a fresh water stream. They are located quite high up, which would have meant that Selkirk was able to watch out for the ships coming close to the island.

The most interesting evidence, the archaeologists say, is part of a piece of equipment used by sailors to navigate (导航). Historians believe Selkirk was a navigator, so the instrument could have belonged to him.

Robinson Crusoe was published ten years after Selkirk was rescued. Most experts think Daniel Defoe heard and read stories about Selkirk, which inspired him to write the book.

1.Why did Selkirk choose to land on the remote island?

A. Because he had quarrels with the crew members.

B. Because the captain ordered him to get fresh water.

C. Because he wanted to go on an adventure there.

D. Because he thought the ship he was on was in danger.

2.We can infer from the text that the ship that visited Aguas Buenas in 1709 _______.

A. lost its way while sailing

B. lacked fresh water upon arrival

C. was being navigated by Selkirk

D. was running out of food upon arrival

3.How could Selkirk see ships that might rescue him, according to archaeologists?

A. By asking the crew members on the ships.

B. By sending messages to the ships’ captains.

C. By watching from his shelter high on the island.

D. By using a piece of equipment used to navigate.

4.The author wrote the text to _______.

A. explain the origin of Robinson Crusoe

B. promote sales to Robinson Crusoe

C. criticise Alexander Selkrik’s deeds

D. praise Daniel Defoe for his writing inspiration

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