It was the end of the school term and my son Tom had less than three months left before he would finish his six years at high school. During this time he had developed a love for basketball. Sadly, because of my work over the last twelve months, I had only been able to attend a few of his games; however, I was determined to get to his last game for the school term.

Tom’s team came out in the first 10 minutes with a burst of goals that saw them leading by just over 20 points at the end of the first half. The second half changed as the other team quickly played themselves back into the game. Tom’s team started to miss an increasing number of shots. It was at that point that the coach called his first time out.

The noise of the spectators (观众) became quiet as the coach spoke to them. He had the team standing in a half circle, but he squatted (蹲) down, looking up at them and fiving some very calm and clear instructions on what they needed to do in the last couple of minutes. As he stood up to allow the team to return to the court, I saw him give some further words of encouragement to all of them.

You could see that he knew that the team was fighting to save the game and that he needed to lift them up. By squatting down he placed himself in a position where he was talking up to them, rather than down or at them, and as the players went back onto the court his words of encouragement served to lift their energy and spirits.

Well, Tom’s team went on to win the final by 5 points. As I drove away I thought about what can happen to us all in our everyday life. One of my favourite quotes is about the half filled glass of water --- “Is it half full or is it half empty?” Like the coach, the answer to this quote all depends on how you look at things.

1.Why did the writer e to see his son play basketball?

A. Because his son would graduate from high school.

B. Because he felt sorry for never watching his son play.

C. Because it was a final his son played a key role in.

D. Because he had a strong interest in basketball himself.

2.By squatting down, the coach wanted to _____ .

A. talk about what the players were doing wrong

B. make the players feel better

C. prevent spectators from hearing what he said

D. show his anger at the bad performance of the players

3.What is the writer’s attitude towards the coach?

A. Negative. B. Supportive. C. Interested. D. Unconcerned.

4.What can we infer from the passage?

A. A father should care about his son at school.

B. Playing hard is rewarded with a close match.

C. What a coach says has the most influence on players.

D. Looking at things positively is important in hard times.

C

The creative projects of World Food Program (WFP) focused on preventing hunger from taking hold in the future and breaking the cycle of hunger. Here are some of the ways in which we work to prevent hunger in the future:

School Meals

As well as directly addressing hunger, School Meals projects encourage families to keep their children in school and help them build better futures. If children aren’t hungry they will concentrate on their lessons. With a solid education growing children have a better chance of finding their own way out of hunger. These projects benefit girls especially. For more information: www.wfp.org/schools meals.

Food for Assets(有用的人)

WFP’s Food for Assets projects provide the hungry with food to lay the foundation for a better tomorrow. When poor farmers no longer have to worry about the next meal, they have the time and energy to build irrigation(灌溉) systems that can increase production. Similarly, Food for Training projects allow the poor to devote time to learning skills that will sustain(维持) them economically in the future. For more information: www.wfp.org/food-assets.

HIV/AIDS

WFP uses its food rations(配给) to reduce the blow of HIV and AIDS. The agency distributes its rations to people living with HIV and AIDS, so they can keep providing for their families for longer and have time to transfer vital knowledge and skills to the growing number of AIDS children--the next generation of food providers in developing countries. For more information: www.wfp.org/hiv-aids.

Purchase for Progress

WFP buys large amounts of food in developing countries. It has this purchasing power and uses it to help poor farmers contact reliable markets where they can get competitive prices for their produce. With secure markets, farmers will be encouraged to produce more and innovate(创新).The knock-on effect is producing more food for everyone. For more information: www.wfp.ofp/purchase-progress.

1.The text is written with the purpose of ____.

A. seeking solutions to some hot issues

B. introducing some of WFP’s projects

C. raising money for the people in need

D. calling readers’ attention to the poor

2.The farmers who want to receive some training should visit_____.

A.www.wfp.org/hiv-aids

B.www.wfp.org/food-asset

C.www.wfp.org/purchase-progress

D.www.wfp.org/school-meals

3.AIDS children can benefit from food rations in that_____.

A. they no longer go hungry

B. they can take care of their parents

C. they don’t have to worry about food

D. they can learn more skills from their parents

4.By buying large amounts of food in developing countries, WFP aims to ____.

A. help farmers to increase their income

B. encourage farmers to produce more food

C. introduce new ways of farming to farmers

D. motive farmers to plant different kind of crops.

“I invented a new word. How do I get it into the dictionary?”

This is, by far, the question lexicographers(词典编纂者)hear the most. People invent new words all the time, but which ones actually make it into the dictionary? When lexicographers decide what words to add to dictionaries, they try to imagine what words users actually want to look up. There are important factors to keep in mind here.

1)Is the word in widespread usage?

The usage question is an important one that gets at the heart of how dictionaries are written. When modem lexicographers try to add words to dictionaries, they tend to approach their work from the angle of descriptivism — that is, they observe how the language is being used, see if it, s a common phenomenon, and then write definitions based on their research.

2)Does the word have staying power?

Widespread usage does not, however, guarantee a word a shiny new definition in a dictionary. Is the word going to stay around for a while, or is it just a passing fad? Is it likely to be in use in 5, 10, 20, or even 100 years? These are important questions to ask because there are far more updates and new words to be added to dictionaries than lexicographers have time to write.

3)Are you famous? Do you have influence?

If you’re famous, that could definitely up your chances of getting a word into a dictionary. Are you a writer? That could help. Take, for example, William Shakespeare, who invented (or at least popularized) hundreds of words and phrases commonly used today. Politicians also make their contributions. Abraham Lincoln invented the word neologize, and Winston Churchill has the first citation(引语)in the OED for many words, including fluffily and fly-in. So if you’re a person with influence and a following, the words you use can spread into common usage, which, as discussed above, is very important when it comes to gaining dictionary-entry.

4)Does the word fill a gap in the language?

If you’re not famous, there are other ways. Maybe you’re a scientist introducing new concepts to the public. Take, for example, the Higgs Boson particle(粒子), named after physicist Peter W. Higgs. But you don’t have to be a scientist to get your word a dictionary entry. Just look at Dominique Ansel, the pastry chef (糕点师) who captured the stomachs of New Yorkers with his dessert, the cronat. His invention even inspired copycats in the form of doissants and daffins.

Apart from these, it does sometimes help if the word is fun to say. The term blog is relatively new, which arose in 1999 when Peter Merholz made a light-hearted comment on the sidebar of his “weblog” telling his readers “I’ve decided to pronounce the word ‘weblog’ as wee’-blog. Or ‘blog’ for short.” And there’s also Dr. Seuss, who invented the term nerd.

So, why do some words make it into dictionaries while others don’t? With the knowledge discussed above in hand, the answer is more than obvious. Go forth! Use language creatively! Lexicographers are listening!

Title: How does a word gain 1.into the dictionary?

Reasons

Details

Examples

Being used 2.

With the approach of descriptivism, modem lexicographers will observe how commonly a word is used and 3.it according to their research.

Having staying power

The 4. a word remains in use, the more likely it is to be put into the dictionary.

Being invented by famous people

Chances of dictionary entry also 5. if the new word is invented by people of importance and influence.

hundreds of words and phrases invented by literary figures and 6..

7.a gap in the language

If a word introduces new scientific concepts, or 8. new inventions, it will probably get into the dictionary.

the Higgs Boson particle; cromit, doissants, duffins

the Higgs Boson particle; cromit, doissants,duffins

Being fun to say

Some words make it into dictionaries because they carry a 9.of fun when you use them.

10.nerd

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