The Oxford Dictionary has announced its word of the year. It's spelled... Actually, it isn't spelled at all, because it contains no letters, just a “face with tears of joy” emoji.

“The fact that English alone is proving not enough to meet the needs of 21st-century digital communication is a huge change,” says Caspar Grathwohl, president of Oxford Dictionaries. When one of his dictionary colleagues suggested using an emoji instead of the word “emoji”, “lightbulbs went off”. Until recently, Grathwohl, who is 44, avoided using emojis altogether because he worried that he would look as if he “was trying to get in on teen culture”. “I felt inauthentic. But I think there was a tipping point this year. It's now moved into the mainstream.”

Some 76% of the UK adult population owns a smart phone, and of those, between 80% and 90% use emojis. Worldwide, six billion are sent daily. The “face with tears of joy” is the most used, representing 20% of all UK and 17% of all US emoji use. It has overtaken the standard smiley-face emoji in popularity, which may mean that emoji users are moving towards exaggeration or irony or fun, or that all this emoji use has brought everyone to a higher emotional plane. Even if you don't send emojis yourself, you will probably receive them.

How far do emojis function as a language? “There's a lot of prejudice against emojis,” Vyvyan Evans, a professor in linguistics at Bangor University, says. “A lot of people think they are a backward step, but this misunderstands the nature of human communication.” The picture is more complicated, with emojis offering both greater freedom and limitations than verbal language. “Emoji isn't a language as such. They don't develop in the way that the natural language does. But they are working according to the same principles of communication as the spoken language. What is the value of an emoji? I think I can prove this with an ordinary sentence.” There is a pause. “I love you,” he says. “Crikey(哎呀), I love you.” He says it again. The first time I think he means it; the second time we both know he doesn't. “The meaning is coming from extra-language factors,” he says. “Emojis are performing the same function in digital speech.”

Like any sort-of language, emoji is evolving. “I do think they are subtle(微妙) and rich,” Grathwohl says. “They can mean different things to different people. The fact that we are using emoji in combination to express more complex ideas and experiences is one of the most fun and playful parts of the whole words. Will emoji finally come to look something more like traditional language that we understand?” he asks. “That would be interesting.”

1.The sentence “lightbulbs went off” (Para. 2) means that     .

A. the president became embarrassed and annoyed

B. the president suddenly realized he was outdated

C. the suggestion was immediately adopted

D. the suggestion started a heated discussion

2.The “face with tears of joy” is more popular than smiley-face emoji, which means that     .

A. emoji is changing constantly

B. smiley-face emoji is too traditional

C. adults have more sorrow than joy in their daily life

D. people like to express their emotions in a richer way

3.Vyvyan Evans uses the sentence “I love you” as an example (Para. 4) to prove that     .

A. emoji can express the real meaning behind words

B. emoji is different from the natural language

C. people feel free to use emoji in communication

D. emoji will limit people in expressing their feelings

4.Which of the following statements might Grathwohl agree with?

A. Emoji is too childish for adults.

B. People have the same explanation for an emoji.

C. Using emoji can add fun to communication.

D. Emoji won't develop into a language.

A long time ago, I knew a girl whose name is Gloria. She is a student. Most people in school liked Gloria.So when she got sick,some boys_____to visit her. But none of them wanted to  _____any money for a gift to bring.

    Then Willie said,“We can _____some flowers from a _____. ”

    Gloria will not know ______they come from,and the dead man will not _____them.

    Everybody was afraid,_____Willie.So he went alone and ____some beautiful flowers.Then they went to Gloria’s_____,and the boys acted as if the flowers were from all of them,but______did not mind.

    After their visit,Willie_____the other boys,“It is a good thing that I was not afraid. Gloria ____ the flowers. ”

    The other boys laughed. Gloria would not have liked the _____if she had known they had come from a grave.

    That night, Willie was reading a book _____his mother came into his room.“Willie,did you and other boys buy some flowers today ______Gloria?”she asked.“There’s a man  _____asking for you,”she added. “He says that you didn’t ______the flowers. ”

    “What does he look  ____?”Willie asked.

    “That’s hard to say,”Willie’s mother answered. “He is all _____with mud(泥土). ”

    Willie,all of a sudden,was ____.

1.A. thought B. planned C. asked D. took

2.A. keep B. cost C. take D. spend

3.A. steal B. pick up C. buy D. plant

4.A. shop B. store C. street D. grave

5.A. how B. when C. where D. why

6.A. miss B. lose C. hate D. love

7.A. except B. besides C. including D. beside

8.A. saw B. thought C. looked for D. found

9.A. room B. hospital C. school D. library

10.A. Gloria B. some C. Willie D. nobody

11.A. told B. asked C. said to D. explained

12.A. refused B. liked C. hated D. missed

13.A. boys B. flowers C. secret D. news

14.A. when B. as C. while D. suddenly

15.A. to B. for C. on D. with

16.A. inside B. outside C. still D. also

17.A. ask for B. water C. like D. pay for

18.A. as B. about C. like D. for

19.A. painted B. dressed C. wrapped D. covered

20.A. afraid B. red C. sad D. glad

Do you have any friends? Have you ever visited your friends? Jenny went to visit her friends in New York last weekend. Her friends met her at the airport(机场) on Friday afternoon and drove her to the hotel. They had dinner at a Chinese restaurant and went to see a film after that.

  Jenny and her friends set out early on Saturday morning for a farm and stayed there until Sunday morning. During their stay, they went fishing and swimming in the small river on the farm. They played football in the field and enjoyed a big meal around a camp fire(篝火), singing and dancing till late into the night.

  Nobody could get up early on Sunday morning.So when they got back to New York City, it was about three o’clock in the afternoon.They drove right to the airport because Jenny didn’t want to miss her plane back home.Jenny only stayed in New York for two nights but she had a great time with her friends.

1.Jenny went to New York________.

A. to do some shopping B. to see her friends C. to spend her summer holiday D. to find a job

2.How did Jenny get to New York?

A. By train. B. By bus. C. By plane. D. On foot.

3.Where did Jenny and her friends go on Saturday?

A. To the farm. B. To the Chinese restaurant. C. To the airport. D. To the railway station.

4.When did Jenny go back home?

A. On Saturday afternoon. B. On Sunday morning.

C. On Saturday evening. D. On Sunday afternoon.

5.How long did Jenny stay in New York?

A. three nights B. four nights C. two nights D. one night.

Many teenagers(青少年) feel that the most important people in their lives are their friends. They believe that their family members don’t understand them as well as their friends do.In large families, it is quite often for brothers and sisters to fight with each other and then they can only go to their friends for some ideas.It is very important for teenagers to have one good friend or a group of friends. Even when they are not with their friends, they usually spend a lot of time talking among themselves on the phone. This communication(交际)is very important in children’s growing up, because friends can discuss(讨论)something. These things are difficult to say to their family members.

However, parents often try to choose their children friends for them. Some parents may even stop their children from meeting their good friends. Have you ever thought of the following questions? Who chooses your friends?

Do you choose your friends or your friends choose you?

Have you got a good friend your parents don’t like? Your answers are welcome.

1.Many teenagers think that _ __ can understand them better.

A. friends B. brothers C. sisters D. parents

2.When teenagers have something difficult to say to their parents, they usually____.

A. stay alone at home B. fight with their parents

C. discuss it with their friends D. go to their brothers and sisters for help

3.Which of the following is the writer’s attitude(态度)?

A. Parents should choose friends for their children.

B. Children should choose everything they like.

C. Parents should understand their children better.

D. Teenagers should only go to their friends for help.

THE WAY TO READ FAST
Perhaps you have been told about some habits(习惯) which stop a person reading fast and have been strongly asked to break those habits which you might have.

Do you still have any of these bad habits7 Check yourself by answering "yes" or "no" to these questions:

1. Do you move your lips(嘴唇) when reading silently?

2. Do you point to words with your finger as you read?

3. Do you move your head from side to side as you read?

4. Do you read one word at a time?

If you answer "yes" to any of these questions, start at once to break the habit.

If you move your lips, hold your fingers over them, or hold a piece of paper between your lips while you are reading. Then if your lips move, you will know it and can stop them.

If you point to words, hold the two sides of your book, one side with your left hand, the other side with your right hand. Then you will not have a free finger to use in pointing while reading. If you move your head, place your chin(下巴)in one hand, and hold your head still(不动地).

If you read no more than one or two or three words at a time, you need to work very hard in learning to take in more words at each glance(看一眼) as your eyes travel across the lines of words.

1.You may hold your fingers over your lips while reading

A. to hold a piece of paper between them B. to feel whether y our lips move or not

C. to tell others to be silent D. to stop yourself talking to others

2.When your eyes travel across the lines of words,

A. you need to read the words out B. you need to look at every word carefully

C. you need to remember every word D. you need to read several words at a time

3.When you read,

A. don’t use your finger to point to words B. don’t hold your books with your hands

C. don’t hold your head still D. don’t do any of the things mentioned(提到)above.

4.This passage mainly talks about .

A. the importance of fast reading B. the bad habits in reading

C. the way to read fast D. both A and B

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