题目内容
Every year on my birthday, from the time I turned twelve, a white gardenia was delivered to my house. No card or note came with it. Calls to the flower shop were always useless ---- it was a cash ____1____. After a while I stopped trying to ____2____ who the sender was and just delighted in the beautiful and perfume of the white flower. But I never ____3____ imagining who the sender might be. Some of my ___4____ moments were spent daydreaming about it.
My mother asked me whether there was someone for whom I had done a(an) ___5____ kindness who might be showing ____6___. Perhaps the neighbor I helped when she was _____7___ a car full of groceries. Or maybe it was the old man across the street whose mail I helped to get during the ____8___ so he wouldn’t have to venture down his icy step. As a teenager, though I had more fun guessing that it might be a ____9____ who had noticed me even though I didn’t know him.
One month before my high school graduation, my father died of a heart attack. He was missing some of the most important events in my life. I became completely ____10____ in my upcoming graduation and the dance. When my father died, I ____11_____ the dance and the dress for it. The day before the dance, I found a dress on the sofa. I didn’t ____12_____ if I had a new dress or not, but my mother did.
She wanted her children to feel ____13____ and lovable, imaginative, believing that there was a ____14____ in the world and beauty in the face of hard times. Actually mother wanted her children to see themselves much like the gardenia ----lovely, ____15____ and perfect. The gardenia stopped coming when my mother died.
1. A. service B. deal C. bargain C. offer
2. A. recognize B. imagine C. wonder D. discover
3. A. failed B. stopped C. succeeded D. enjoyed
4. A. saddest B. painful C. happiest D. loneliest
5. A. special B. common C. valuable D. important
6. A. concern B. attitude C. interest D. appreciation
7. A. repairing B. washing C. unloading D. starting
8. A. spring B. summer C. autumn D. winter
9. A. friend B. superman C. teacher D. boy
10. A. disappointed B. uninterested C. discouraged D. concentrated
11. A. forgot B. lost C. hated D. expected
12. A. wonder B. believe C. care D. know
13. A. contented B. respected C. thanked D. loved
14. A. trouble B. magic C. tragedy D. comedy
15. A. strong B. beautiful C. smelly D. lucky
BDBCA DCDDB ACDBA
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 |