Love it or hate it, there is no escape from Internet slang(俚语).

This is especially true among young people in some English-speaking countries such as Australia, the UK and the US. These days, if they haven’t caught up with the latest popular Internet slang, chances are that they often feel behind the times.

Take these posts by The Washington Post for example: “David Bowie dying is totes tradge” and “When Cookie hugged Jamal, it made me totes emosh. ”

What on earth do these mean? Well, “totes” is a short form of the adverb “totally”. Likewise, “tradge” means “tragic” and “emosh” means “emotional”.

It seems that, for millennials (those born between the early 1980s and late 1990s), typing in this abbreviated form is not only time-saving but also in.

Many millennial slang words are formed by what linguists(语言学家) call the practice of “totesing” —the systematic abbreviation of words, according to a recent article in The Washington Post.

Some people think that millennial slang affects the English language negatively. However, Melbourne University linguist Rosey Billington doesn’t agree.

“When you are able to use language in a creative way, you show you are linguistically knowledgeable because you know the language rules well enough to use words in a different way.” Billington told News.com.au.

Her view is supported by two linguists, Lauren Spradlin and Taylor Jones, from the City University of New York and the University of Pennsylvania respectively. The two believe that totes-speak is a highly-organized system that can only be used by speakers who have mastered English pronunciation.

The ability to break apart syllables(音节) and mix different sounds together is key. “Totesing is about sounds, and it follows the sometimes-complex sound system of English,” Jones told The Washington Post. “Totesing is considered random by some people, but it’s not true. Instead, it has strict rules to follow. You need to be very fluent in the English language to be able to understand totes-speak. ”

1.How does the author explain the meaning of totesing?

A. With comparisons.

B. Through examples.

C. By listing facts.

D. By analyzing causes and effects.

2.What is Lauren Spradlin’s attitude toward the practice of totesing?

A. Worried. B. Indifferent(漠不关心的).

C. Positive. D. Doubtful.

3.The underlined word “random” in the last paragraph probably means _______.

A. complex B. organized

C. irregular D. meaningless

4.What is the main idea of this passage?

A. The reasons why totesing is popular among the young.

B. The ways that the young use in totesing.

C. The popularity of totesing and linguists’ attitude to it.

D. The definition(定义) and practice of totesing.

Today, one can trace Venice’s rich past from its buildings. Most cities can claim at least a handful of outstanding churches, palaces or houses of historical interest, but in Venice very nearly everything is remarkable, from the magnificent Piazza San Marco (St. Mark’s Square ) and the palaces that line the Grand Canal to the centuries-old homes of simple fishermen. It would be easy to say that the city itself is an enormous museum if it were not for the fact it is so obviously alive.

At first sight, Venice looks unbelievably permanent, an apparently complete Renaissance (文艺复兴) city so untouched by time that there seems no reason why it should not go on forever. Now the city is slowly sinking, as the clay on which it is built loses its elasticity (弹性) and the massive wooden piles rot (腐烂) away. Flooding, such a rare occurrence a hundred years ago now happens several times each winter.

The damage caused by the flooding is immense, and the fabric of the ancient buildings is now being further damaged by pollution from the mainland town as well as by the wash produced by the constantly increasing number of motor boats that speed up and down the canals.

A further threat to Venice comes from the Venetians themselves, some of whom are not particularly interested in preserving the city as one of the wonders of the world and would prefer to see it modernized.

“What better place is there for the meeting of dear friends? See how it glows with the advancing summer; how the sky and the sea and the rosy air and the marble of the palaces all glimmer and melt together.” Thus wrote the famous author Henry James, of Venice, which provided the setting for his story “The Aspern Papers”, in the nineteenth century. The Splendor of Venice has captured the imagination of artists for centuries --- and not just of the great painters and novelists. How tragic now that she is faced with the double threat of man and nature. Venice indeed will be lucky to survive.

1.Venice proudly boasts .

A. its beautiful churches, palaces and houses

B. its unique St. Mark’s Square and the Grand Canal

C. its picturesque waterscape

D. its marvelous ancient buildings

2.The writer thinks that .

A. Venice can be regarded as a big museum

B. Venice is no longer a big museum

C. Venice is different from a big museum

D. Venice can never be a big museum because of its modernization

3.From the fourth paragraph, we know that .

A. Venetians are eager to modernize their city

B. Venetians value the Grand Canal

C. Venetians don’t care about any threat to the Grand Canal.

D. the threat of man is greater than the threat of nature

4.In the last paragraph, the writer .

A. is very confident that Venice will survive

B. is doubtful whether Venice will survive

C. thinks that Venice will have luck

D. is afraid that Venice will no longer attract artists and novelists

七选五

根据短文内容,从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

Choosing the right job is probably one of the most important decisions we have to make in life, and it is frequently one of the hardest decisions we have to make. One important question that you might ask yourself is: “How do I get a good job?” 1. There are people who can answer an insignificant advertisement in the local paper and land the best job in the world; others write to all sorts of places all over the country, and never seem to get a reply at all. Still others believe that the in person, door-to-door approach is by far the best way to get a job; and then there are those who, through no active decision of their own, just seem to be in the right place at the right time. 2. He used to spend a lot of his free time down by the sea watching the tall ships, but never thinking that he might one day sail one of them. His father was a farmer, and being a sailor could never be anything for the boy but an idle dream. One day, on his usual wandering, he heard the captain of the ship complaining that he could not sail because one member of his crew was sick. Without stopping to think, the lad(少年) offered to take his place. 3. .

4. If the lad had gone home to ponder(考虑)his decision for a week, he may have missed his chance. It is one thing to be offered an opportunity; it is another to take it and use it well. Sometimes we hear stories about people who break all the rules and still seem to land plum jobs(美差). When you go for a job interview or fill out an application, you are expected to say nice things about the company to which you are applying. 5. And within a year this person had become general manger of the company.

A.This story also illustrates the importance of seizing an opportunity when it presents itself.

B.People find jobs in an infinite number of ways.

C.It’s almost impossible to find a good job by answering advertisement in newspapers.

D.Take for example the young man who wanted to be a sailor.

E.But there was one person who landed an excellent job by telling the interviewer all the company’s faults.

F.He spent the rest of his life happily sailing the ships he had always loved.

G.It is very important to seize an opportunity when it presents itself.

阅读七选五

We have all seen nervous presenters in classrooms and meetings. One effect of being nervous is moving from side to side. 1. In fact the audience can lose interest in a speaker who does not move.

How a speaker moves is important. Whole?body movement should be slow and planned to command attention. Such movement helps to communicate confidence.

2. But they look at their notes on a paper or at the screen if they have an electronic presentation.

With posture, the typical problem for new speakers is that they are often moving back and forth, and they're not facing the audience. They'll often be facing the white board or the screen with slides and be talking to that rather than talking to the audience. The same thing with eye contact with the audience, they find it really, really difficult, because they'll be looking at their notes, they'll be looking at their computer, they'll be looking at the screen, or they will be looking at the floor. The problem of having notes and trying to talk from notes often is a big problem. 3. The best way to avoid this problem is to use images and few words for notes instead of sentences. The image should help communicate the point you want to make. Writing a few words with the image on your slide helps you remember that point. Then you can look at the audience while speaking.

4. When you practice, remember these important tips: be aware of your posture, eye contact, and gestures.

5. Then step by step, you'll become an excellent speaker.

A.So they usually have eye contact with the audience.

B.So they have trouble with eye contact.

C.An important part of public speaking is practice.

D.New public speakers know that they should look at the audience while they speak.

E.A presenter does not need to stand perfectly still.

F.Improve your public speaking with body language.

G.Look for opportunities to speak and gain more confidence.

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