When I was growing up in America, I was ashamed of my mother’s Chinese English. Because of her English, she was often treated unfairly. People in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously , did not give her good service , pretended not to understand her , or even acted as if they did not hear her . W_w w.k*s*5 u.c@o m

My mother has realized the limitations of her English as well. When I was fifteen, she used to have me call people on phone to pretend I was she . I was forced to ask for information or even to yell at people who had been rude to her. One time I had to call her stockbroker (股票经纪人).I said in an adolescent voice that was not very convincing, “This is Mrs. Tan..”

   And my mother was standing beside me, whispering loudly, “Why he don’t send me cheek already two week lone.”

And then, in perfect English I said : “I’m getting rather concerned .You agreed to send the check two weeks ago, but it hasn’t arrived.”

Then she talked more loudly. “What he want? I come to New York tell him front of his boss.” And so I turned to the stockbroker again, “I can’t tolerate any more excuse. If I don’t receive the check immediately , I am going to have to speak to your manager when I am in New York next week.”

The next week we ended up in New York. While I was sitting there red-faced, my mother, the real Mrs. Tan, was shouting to his boss in her broken English. W_w w.k*s*5 u.c@o m

    When I was a teenager, my mother’s broken English embarrassed me. But now, I see it differently. To me, my mother’s English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. It is my mother tongue. Her language, as I hear it, is vivid, direct, and full of observation and wisdom. It was the language that helped shape the way I saw things, expressed ideas, and made sense of the world.

From Paragorph 2, we know that the author was          .

       A. good at pretending                                       B. rude to the stockbroker

       C. unwilling to phone for her mother              D. ready to help her mother

After the author made the phone call,             .

A. they forgave the stockbroker                     B. they went to New York immediately

       C .they failed to get the check                      D. they spoke to their boss at once

What does the author think of her mother’s English now? W_w w.k*s*5 u.c@o m

       A. It confuses her.                               B. It embarrasses her.

       C .It helps her tolerate rude people.                 D. It helps her understand the world.

We can inter from the passage that Chinese English         . w_w w. k#s5_u.c o*m

      

A. is clear and natural to non-native speakers     

B. is vivid and direct to non-native speakers

       C. may bring inconvenience in America W_w w.k*s*5 u.c@o m

       D. has a very bad reputation in America

What does it mean to say that we live in a world of persuasion? It means that we live among competing interests. Your roommate’s need to study for an exam may take priority over pizza. Your instructor may have good reasons not to change your grade. And the object of your romantic/inter­est may have other choices.

In such a world, persuasion is the art of getting others to give fair and favorable consideration to our points of view. When we persuade, we want to influence how others believe and behave. We may not always prevail — other points of view may be more persuasive, depending on the listener, the situ­ation, and the merit of the case. But when we practice the art of persuasion, we try to ensure that our position receives the attention it deserves.

Some people, however, object to the very idea of persuasion. They may regard it as an unwelcome interruption into their lives. Just the opposite, we believe that persuasion is unavoidable — to live is to persuade. Persuasion may be ethical or unethical, selfless or selfish, inspiring or degrad­ing. Persuaders may enlighten our mind or prey on our vulnerability. Ethical persuasion, however, calls on sound reasoning and is sensitive to the feelings and needs of listeners. Such persuasion can help us apply the wisdom of the past to the decisions we now must make. Therefore, the most basic part of edu­cation is learning to resist the one kind of persuasion and to encourage and practice the other.

Beyond its personal importance to us, persuasion is necessary to society. The right to persuade and be persuaded is the bedrock of the American political system, guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution.

1.According to the passage, persuasion means ________.

A. changing others’ points of view

B. exercising power over other people

C. getting other people to consider your point of view

D. getting people to agree with you and do what you want

2.The underlined word in the second paragraph “prevail” means________.

A. win                B. fail              C. speak                    D. listen

3.The passage states that some people object to persuasion because they think it is ________.

A. a danger to society                        B. difficult to do well

C. unwelcome behavior                     D. never successful

4.The passage mainly discusses ________.

A. how people persuade

B. why people persuade

C. that persuasion is both good and bad

D. that persuasion is important and it is all around us

 

 

We can all contribute to a greener world.Just follow these ten golden rules:

●Stop getting junk mail.Billions of junk mail can be sent every year.Half of it is never opened.Get-your name off mailing lists.If 100,000 people stopped getting junk mail today, it would save 150,000 trees a year.

●Stop reading newspapers.All over the world, millions of newspapers are thrown away every day, 44 million newspapers in the USA alone —that's half a million trees a week.Either recycle your newspapers or read the hews online.

●Buy clothes made from organic materials.Conventional cotton farming seriously pollutes the environment, most of which uses chemical pesticides (农药) and fertilizers. Organic is better!

●Switch to solar energy.In one day, the sun will provide enough energy to power the planet.Why aren't we using it?

●If you have to drive, share the ride.Most cars in the USA have only one occupant.Also, 25 percent of car rides are less than 1.5 kilometres.Get out and walk!

●Unplug your PC, TV and VCR.Simply turning them off isn't enough.Sets left on standby are still using 25 percent of their power.

●Hold on to your balloons.Helium-filled balloons which fly away usually end up in a lake or river, where they can choke aquatic (水生的) creatures.Save your balloons and use them again.Or better still, don't use them at all.

●Feed the birds.Wild birds need food, especially in v/inter when other sources can be scarce.The greater the range of foodstuffs you put out for them, the more types of birds you will attract.

●Plant a garden at your school.Learn the connection between the land and the table.Plant vegetables to eat, flowers to admire and trees to improve the air.

1..

What is the main purpose of the passage?

    A.To provide some health advice on how to work.

    B.To suggest some ways how to make full use of solar energy.

    C.To advise protecting environment and saving energy.

    D.To advise on how to recycle waste and save energy.

2..

.The underlined expression "left on standby" in the sixth rule means__    __.

    A.ready to start and use electricity                       B.ready to be turned off

    C.ready to be repaired                                     D.ready to be.put away

3..

.Which of the following will NOT protect trees from being cut down to make paper?

    A.Not buying newspapers.             B.Don't accept junk mail.

    C.Read your newspaper online.                             D.Read only one newspaper.

 

Time magazine named Russian President Vladimir Putin its  "Person of the Year" for 2007 on Wednesday, saying he had returned his country from chaos(混乱)to "the table of world power" though at a cost of democratic principles.

He doesn't care about civil liberties; he doesn't care about free speech; he cares about stability. But Putin, 55, is enormously popular in Russia, presiding over a resurgent economy based on income from oil and natural gas. On the other hand, stability is what Russia needed and that's why Russians adore(爱戴)him.

Time magazine said on its Web site that Putin, the son of a factory worker had led Russia with persistence, a sharp vision and a sense that he showed the spirit of "Mother Russia".

The selection came days after Putin announced a plan to hold onto power after his term ends next year. Putin said on Monday that if his close ally(盟友),Dmitry Medvedev, won the presidency, he would serve as Medvedev’s prime minister. "Putin has put his country back on the map.  And he intends to redraw it himself,"Time said. "He will continue to lead his country as its prime minister and attempt to transform it into a new kind of nation, beholden to neither East nor West."

Time said the person of the year distinction, which it has awarded since 1927, is not an endorsement(支持)or a popularity prize but a recognition of the individuals and forces that shape the world. "At significant cost of, the principles and ideas that free nations prize, (Putin) has performed an extraordinary feat of leadership in placing stability on a nation that has rarely known it and brought Russia back to the table of world power. For that reason, Vladimir Putin is Time's 2007 Person of the Year," the magazine said.

Time had earlier selected four other Kremlin leaders for the distinction:  Stalin, who was chosen twice, Nikita Khrushchev, Yuri Andropov and Mikhail Gorbachev.

1.What does the underlined word "feat" in Para 5 probably mean?

A.Style.

B.Level.

C.Standard.

D.Achievement.

2.What's the major reason why Putin becomes popular in Russia?

A.His successful economy policy

B.His outstanding ability of politics

C.His great contributions to Russian economy and social stability.

D.His wisdom of changing the world.

3.What may be the best title of the passage?

A.Putin-Time magazine’s person of the year 2007

B.Putin-a world power leader

C.Putin-a beloved Russian president

D.Putin-an honorable Russian president

4.What can we inter from the passage?

A.Russia, including the former Soviet Union, has been one of the major countries named person of the Year so far.

B.Only an individual can be named Person of the Year nowadays.

C.Putin played an important role in Russian social and economic troubles.

D.Medvedev will certainly be elected Russian President on March 3.

 

SEOUL, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) — Hundreds of families from the two Koreas on Saturday met at the DPRK's (朝鲜人民主主义人民共和国) Mount Kumgang resort (度假胜地)in the first government-arranged reunion since the inauguration(就职)of South Korean President Lee Myung-bak.

    Earlier in the day, 96 South Koreans, of whom more than three-quarters were at the age of 70 or older, crossed the inter-Korean border(韩朝边界), heading for the Kumgang resort to meet their families separated by the 1950—1953 Korean War.

    Arriving at the DPRK's resort in the afternoon, South Koreans met with their long-separated families at a large-scale gathering at around 3 p.m. local time, and later are to have a dining meeting in the evening.

    The separate, personal meetings are planned to be held on Sunday.

    The South Korean families will come back home on Monday after the three-day gathering, followed by the second-session reunion event which will last from Tuesday to Thursday.

     The reunion, which had become a semi-regular event(半定期举行的活动) since 2000 after a historic inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang(平壤), was suspended(取消)in 2007 with a worsening mood in inter-Korean relations.

    Saturday's family meeting, however, came as a result of an agreement reached last month between the DPRK leader Kim Jong-il and Hyun Jeong-eun, chairwoman of South Korea's Hyundai Group.

     The recovery of the family meetings is regarded as conveying the DPRK's reconciliatory(和解) intentions, along with the country's recent moves including lifting a ban(解禁) on cross-border traffic to and from the Kaesong Joint Industrial Park, local media said.

     About 600,000 South Koreans are believed to have relatives in the DPRK. Ordinary citizens were not allowed to make phone calls, send letters or exchange e-mails across the border.

1..  Why were there so many families separated according to the passage?

A. Because they were from different countries.

B. Because of the war which broke out in 1950.

C. Because of the ban that ordinary citizens were not allowed to cross the border.

D. Because the different policies between the two countries.

2... Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. It is the first reunion since they were separated.

B. These separated families haven’t seen their relatives for more than 7 years.

C. The first day of the reunion fell on a Saturday.

D. Ordinary citizens are now not allowed to make phone calls, or exchange e-mails across the border.

3..  The underlined word “reunion” can be replaced by _______________.

A. living together again                               

 B. joining together again

C. reaching an agreement again                     

D. meeting together again

4..  What’s the best title of this news?

A. South Korean, DPRK families meet in reunion event. 

 B. A Special Family Gathering.

C. The improvement of inter-Korean relations.           

D. A Peaceful Meeting.

 

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网