Among the four skills in learning English, which one of these is the “odd-man-out”?The answer is speaking.The other three you can do alone on your own.But you can’t really speak alone!Speaking to yourself can be“dangerous”because men in white coats may come and take you away!
Where can you find people to speak English?And how can you practise speaking when you are alone?
At school If you pay to go to a language school, you should use the opportunity to speak.If your teacher asks you to speak in pairs or groups with other students, try to say as much as possible.Don’t worry about your mistakes.Just speak!
Conversation Clubs Many cities around the world have conversation clubs where people can exchange one language for another.Look in your local newspaper to find a conversation club near you.They are usually free although some may charge a small entrance fee.
Shopping Even if you don’t want to buy anything, you can ask questions about products that interest you in a shop.“How much does this cost?”“Can I pay by cheque?”Often you can start a real conversation-and it costs you nothing!
Café and Bars There are often American, Britain, Irish and Australian bars in many large cities.If you can find one.You’ll probably meet many people speaking English as a first or second language.
Language is all around you Everywhere you go, you find language.Shop names, street names, advertisements, notices, and car numbers…When you walk down the street, practise reading the words and numbers that you see.Say them to yourself.It’s not exactly a conversation, but it will help you to“think”in English.But don’t speak too loud.
Songs and Video Repeat the words of an English-language song singing with the music until it becomes automatic.It’s good practice for your memory and for the mouth muscles that you need for English.
Above all, speak as much as possible!Make as many mistakes as possible!When you know that you have made a mistake, you know that you have made progress!
(1)
What might happen if you speak to yourself loudly in public?
[ ]
A.
The police will take you away and punish you.
B.
The doctors will force you to stay in hospital.
C.
You will have to pay to escape being punished.
D.
You will be forbidden to be member of the club.
(2)
In which places can you learn English NOT free of charge?
[ ]
A.
At school, in conversation clubs and café and bars.
B.
At school, in shops and café bars.
C.
In conversation clubs, shops, songs and video.
D.
In conversation clubs and in the streets.
(3)
Why does the writer say“Make as many mistakes as possible”Because ________.
[ ]
A.
everyone will make mistakes in learning English.
B.
everyone will meet people speaking English with some mistakes.
C.
making mistakes is a must in making progress in learning English.
D.
making mistakes can make one realize the importance of speaking.
(4)
According to the passage, which way is NOT likely to be accepted by English beginners?
Suppose we built a robot(机器人)to explore the planet Mars.We provide the robot with seeing detectors(探测器)to keep it away from danger.It is powered entirely by the sun.Should we program the robot to be equally active at all times?No.The robot would be using up energy at a time when it was not receiving any.So we would probably program it to stop its activity at night and to wake up at dawn the next morning.
According to the evolutionary(进化的)theory of sleep, evolution equipped us with a regular pattern of sleeping and waking for the same reason.The theory does not deny(否认)that sleep provides some important restorative functions(恢复功能).It merely says that evolution has programmed us to perform those functions at a time when activity would be inefficient and possibly dangerous.However, sleep protects us only from the sort of trouble we might walk into; it does not protect us from trouble that comes looking for us.So we sleep well when we are in a familiar, safe place, but we sleep lightly, if at all, when we fear that bears will nose into the tent.
The evolutionary theory explains the differences in sleep among creatures.Why do eats, for instance, sleep so much, while horses sleep so little?Surely cats do not need five times as much repair and restoration as horses do.But cats can afford to have long periods of inactivity because they spend little time eating and are unlikely to be attacked while they sleep.Horses must spend almost all their waking hours eating, because what they eat is very low in energy value.Moreover, they cannot afford to sleep too long or too deeply, because their survival(生存)depends on their ability to run away from attackers.
(1)
The author uses the example of the robot in space exploration to tell us ________.
[ ]
A.
the differences between robots and men
B.
the reason why men need to sleep
C.
about the need for robots to save power
D.
about the danger of men working at night
(2)
Evolution has programmed man to sleep at night chiefly to help him ________.
[ ]
A.
keep up a regular pattern of life
B.
prevent trouble that comes looking for him
C.
avoid danger and inefficient labour
D.
restore his bodily functions
(3)
According to the author, we cannot sleep well when we ________.
[ ]
A.
are worrying about our safety
B.
are overworked
C.
are in a tent
D.
are away from home
(4)
Cats sleep much more than horses do partly because cats ________.
[ ]
A.
need more time for restoration
B.
are unlikely to be attackers
C.
axe more active than homes when they are awake
D.
spend less time eating to get enough energy
(5)
Which of the following is the main idea of the passage?
[ ]
A.
Evolution has equipped all creatures with a regular pattern of sleeping and waking.
B.
The study of sleep is an important part of the evolutionary theory.
C.
Sleeping patterns must be taken into consideration in the designing of robots.
D.
The sleeping pattern of a living creature is determined by the food it eats.
阅读理解:
Many sports need the services of one or more referees(裁判).You will find, for example, referees in swimming, diving, competitions, football, skating, basketball, and tennis, among others .The referee’s judgment, no matter what the sport is, can make the difference between winning and losing.
When a decision is announced, one can often hear loud cheering from the spectators(观众).Sometimes the people don’t agree with the decision.Usually, however, no matter what the people think, the decision of the judge is final.With the instant(即时的)replay television viewers often get a second chance to watch the special sports moments .Should the camera help the referees in making their decisions?Some people think so .The Japanese have been using the television instant replay in one of their sports for some time.
In Japan, where sumo wrestling is thought by many to be the national sport, a wrestler named Taiho was trying to break Futabayama’s record of 69 victories .In the 46th match, Futabayama was declared the winner by mistake because the judges had not seen the wrestler’s foot leave the circle.
Soon after the mistake, the people said that they had a right to see the match end with the correct winners since they had paid as much as $ 375 for a ringside seat .Now cameras record the actions of wrestlers .The camera is the most important referee of all .If a man or a woman makes a mistake in judgment, the camera will correct it, and the instant replay will let everyone know it .The right winner will win.
(1)
The passage is mainly about ________.
[ ]
A.
how to wrestle in Japan
B.
use of camera as referee
C.
watching matches on television
D.
why Sumo wrestling is fun
(2)
In most sports, the referee ________.
[ ]
A.
doesn’t count much
B.
gets paid too much
C.
can see all the action
D.
has the final word
(3)
A poor decision ________.
[ ]
A.
can cause the wrong winner
B.
is usually declared twice
C.
almost never happens
D.
shouldn’t matter much
(4)
You can tell that Sumo wrestling ________.
[ ]
A.
is played on a race track
B.
has teams of nine
C.
is a contest between two
D.
is unpopular in Japan
(5)
Taiho was trying to ________.
[ ]
A.
lose the match quickly
B.
murder Futabayama
C.
help the referee
D.
break a record
阅读理解:
Anti-bird flu contingency(意外事故)measures, including a proposal to separate poultry from humans and a series of traffic and logistics(后勤)measures will be discussed at the Legislative Council’s Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene Panel meeting next month.Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food Dr York Chow says the contingency plan would come into force if an outbreak occurred near Hong Kong.
Speaking on a radio talk show this morning.Dr Chow said the separation of poultry from humans policy, which will be determined after a decision whether to set up a central slaughtering(屠宰)house or several regional ones, would be based on the demand for live chickens.
He pointed out that at present there were 30,000 live chickens imported from the Mainland and 30,000 supplied locally.If this demand persisted, there would be no central slaughtering house or wholesale point that could handle such an amount and regional slaughtering houses could be the choice.
He added that building of regional slaughtering houses took time, but stressed the need to study the views of the public and the sector before a final decision was made.
Regarding avian flu vaccination(种痘)for humans, Dr Chow said it was still being developed.He added that it may not be reliable in the case of an outbreak as records show vaccination can only offer 5% protection against a virus.
He said Hong Kong had more experience and expertise than neighbouring territories in the fight against viral outbreaks, and was willing to offer them help.He added there was no“boundary”for infectious diseases and close cooperation among different countries had to be maintained to fight against a possible outbreak.
(1)
It can be inferred from the first paragraph that ________.
[ ]
A.
the government is planning to take strong action to fight against bird flu
B.
an outbreak which happened near Hong Kong made people very frightened
C.
anti-bird flu contingency measures will come into use next month
D.
Dr York Chow will organize a meeting to discuss the contingency plan
(2)
According the final decision will be made mainly depends on ________
[ ]
A.
separate poultry form humans
B.
set up a central slaughtering house
C.
set up several regional slaughtering houses
D.
get avian flu vaccination
(3)
When the final decision will be made mainly depends on ________
[ ]
A.
the demand for live chickens
B.
the views of the public
C.
the advice from experts
D.
the time when regional slaughtering houses will be finished
(4)
Which of the following statements isn’t Dr York Chow’s opinion?
[ ]
A.
Hong Kong is better at dealing with viral outbreaks than its neighbours
B.
Infectious diseases could happen in any country
C.
Other territories should ask Hong Kong for help because it has more experience
D.
Cooperation is quite necessary when danger is coming