题目内容
Every year in America,high-school students who want to go to college take a national examination called the Scholastic Aptitude Test,or SAT in a shortened way.Their score is an important factor in determining which colleges will admit them or whether any will be admitted at all.The Scholastic Aptitude Test measures one’s mathematical ability and use of the English language.Traditionally,the English portion(部分)involved grammatical questions and paragraphs that test reading comprehension.
But the SAT folks have added a single question,to be answered in an essay,hand-written on the spot.That’s an interesting way to test writing ability,put content aside,have you ever seen young people’s handwriting lately? Or anyone’s for that matter,in this age of computer keyboards? Students write numbers and sign their names on bank checks.They scribble class notes in what can generously be described as the written word.And they hand-write,or more often print,a word or two of identification on luggage and lunch bags.Otherwise penmanship (书法) — once taught so morally and easefully by second-grade teachers,has gone the way of the dodo bird which has died out.
Yet today’s kids are asked to write,thoughtfully and legibly (字迹清楚地),for several minutes on this SAT Test.Good luck to the text scorers who must work out difficultly the scrawl of young people who’ve been typing on computers since the age of three! Teachers insist that good handwriting can not only help one’s score on the SAT,but also,later on in life,impress potential employers and earn bigger tax refunds (退税)because the tax inspectors can actually read the computations (计算结果).And don’t forget,we all have to turn to handwriting from time to time,as computers go down when power goes out.
1.The subjects to be tested in the SAT include ______.
A.math,English,reading and handwriting
B.math,grammar,reading and writing
C.math,foreign language and writing
D.math,English and handwriting
2.The author writes this passage to introduce the fact that ______.
A.writing seems to be very important in the SAT
B.those who will go to colleges have to take the SAT
C.students should practice handwriting more often
D.in the computer age kids know how to write legibly
3.What does the underlined word “scribble” probably mean?
A.Write quickly and roughly. B.Take notes difficultly.
C.Print penmanship carefully. D.Describe written word generously.
4.According to the passage good handwriting can ______.
A.help students get high scores in tests
B.make a student more popular
C.measure students’ ability
D.assist one to get a job
BCAD
Everyday, 340 million people speak it. One billion people are learning it and it is said that by 2050, half of the world’s population will be using it. What are we talking about? That is the global language—English.
The English language started in Britain in the 5th century. It is a mixed language. It was built up when German. Scandinavian and French invaders settled in England and created a common language for communication.
Today it is the official language of the UK, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa and Ireland as well as many islands in the Caribbean. Many other countries and regions use it for politics and business, for example, India. Pakistan, Nigeria and the Philippines. English is also one of the official languages of Hong Kong.
But global advertising and pop music mean that in most countries, you will see or hear some English. Thanks to McDonalds, we all know about “burgers”. “fries” and “milkshakes”. Songs by Madonna, Britney Spears and Celine Dion are in English. We can sing along, even if we do not understand what we are singing!
English is a messy (杂乱的) language. Every year, dictionaries include new words that talk about popular culture, for example, computer-related words such as "blogging", "download" and "chartroom". Also included are words that teenagers use. Who does not know “cool”, “OK” and “hello”?
Other languages also influence English. Many English words come from French. Words like “café” and expressions like “c'est la vie” (that is life) are all part of the English language. On the other hand, the French language includes English words like "le weekend" and "le camping". German words are also part of English. Words like "kindergarten" come from the German language.
Recently, British people have become interested in “yoga”. But the word comes from an ancient Hindu language in India.
【小题1】The English language has a history of ______.
A.over 2000 years | B.over 500 years |
C.over 1500 years | D.over 1000 years |
A.because of | B.in order to | C.as usual | D.as if. |
A.It has been changing all the time. |
B.It has borrowed words from all the other languages. |
C.French words are used by the English because dictionaries have French words. |
D.Singers and film stars have the greatest influence on language. |
A.One billion people | B.340 million |
C.almost all the people in the world. | |
D.not mentioned above, but the number is growing rapidly. |
A.the USA | B.Nigeria | C.the Philippines | D.Norway |